A Different Path
by Michael in Arizona
Summary: When Harry supports Hermione after Ron is an asshole to her in POA despite literally having NO right to be angry at or upset with her, it leads Harry and the world down a different road.
1. Supporting Hermione

Harry Potter couldn't believe what he'd just seen and heard.

Ron Weasley had just been a COMPLETE asshole to Hermione Granger.

Sure, there had been incidents before, but this was inexcusable.

Ron had just meanly shaken bedsheets in Hermione's face and yelled at her at the top his lungs in one of the most public settings of Hogwarts, the Gryffindor Common Room.

"That's it," Harry told Ron firmly, "I've had enough of you and your act. Unless and until you apologize to Hermione for shaking sheets in her face and yelling at her in front of the whole common room, you are no longer a friend of mine."

"I was your first ever friend and you're siding with her?" spat Ron.

"Yes, I am," replied Harry fiercely, "Until you learn how to respect people's feelings and treat people properly, I don't want you as a friend."

"Piss off!" snarled Ron as he walked away.

Harry now turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, would you please come up to my dorm for a few minutes?" requested Harry.

Clearly understanding that Harry was supporting her, Hermione followed Harry up the staircase.

Harry sat down on his own bed and Hermione sat down on Ron's bed and they faced each other.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry about the way Ron just treated you. It's completely unacceptable behavior to shake materials in someone's face or yell at someone in such a public setting."

"Thank you for your support, Harry," said Hermione, "Can I make a request?"

"Sure," answered Harry simply.

"You may have forgotten about it after our disagreement over the Firebolt, but we promised to help Hagrid with Buckbeak's trial."

Harry felt a nasty pang of guilt. He had indeed promised to help with Buckbeak's trial and his argument with Hermione over the Firebolt had driven it out of his mind.

His guilt must have shown on his face because Hermione said quickly, "It's not too late Harry."

"Your request to me is that I assist you in helping find information for Buckbeak's trial?" guessed Harry.

"That is correct, Harry," said Hermione.

"Of course, I will, it's something I should have been doing all along," said Harry matter of factly.

"I know you have Quidditch this weekend, so maybe you can start helping me on Monday?"

"Fair enough" replied Harry.

Come Monday. Harry got up a couple of hours before breakfast to do some reading for Buckbeak's trial.

And in one book, he came across a piece of information that would alter his fate, and the world's, forever.


	2. The Discovery

On Monday morning, Harry was in the library looking through a book called Wonderous Winged World, a bestiary by Sally Soar first published in 1414.

Wonderous Winged World highlighted creatures who possessed the power of flight. As such, Harry figured it might have some useful information on hippogriffs that could help Buckbeak in his trial.

But something in the introduction caught Harry's eyes and brain.

This something probably wouldn't be relevant to Buckbeak, but Harry had an immediate gut feeling that it was extremely important.

There was a section in the introduction about animagi and one particular tidbit caught Harry's eye the nanosecond he read it.

According to Sally Soar:

"Any magical material, object, or artifact that has been created or bewitched to reveal the presence of humans in any confined area can also be used to discover unregistered animagi. This is accomplished by pointing one's wand at the material, object, or artifact in question and saying the incantation "Animagus Reivilo!" After the spell is performed, the animagus's animal form will be stated below his or her name. For example, if a witch named Karen Kitty took the form a cat, then on any material, object, or artifact that showed where humans were present in a confined area, the word "cat" would appear below the name Karen Kitty."

Harry had a feeling that he'd just learned something very important.

"OOH!" Harry realized suddenly.

Tucking Wonderous Winged World under his arms, Harry darted back up to his dorm in Gryffindor Tower.

To Harry's relief, Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus had all left the dorm and it was empty.

Harry therefore retrieved the Marauder's Map from his trunk.

Harry pointed his wand at the map and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map activated and before he could even think about revealing animagi, he noticed the weirdest of the weird.

In Hagrid's Hut, a now stationary dot stated that Peter Pettigrew was sleeping.

Pettigrew was supposed to be dead. How could he be showing up here?

Harry had a sudden suspicion and now performed the incantation "Animagus Reivilo!"

Next nanosecond, Harry sat frozen still at what the spell and map had just revealed.

Below the name Peter Pettigrew was now the word rat.

And that wasn't all.

As Harry's eyes scanned the map further, he saw a dot in the Forbidden Forest labeled Sirius Black that stated Sirius was also sleeping, Below the name Sirius Black was the word dog.

Harry retrieved a bottle of Budweiser from his trunk and took a few sips thinking "This is BIG!"

Harry took a few more minutes and a few more nanoseconds what this all might mean when a reality hit him suddenly.


	3. The Realization

Harry raced down to the Gryffindor Common Room carrying the bestiary Wonderous Winged World by Sally Soar and the Marauder's Map.

Harry saw that Hermione and Ginny were both sitting in armchairs by the fire.

Both Hermione and Ginny were sipping from bottles of Jack Daniels and both were reading,

Hermione had her nose in The Standard Book of Spells Grade 3 while Ginny was doing some leisurely reading of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

"Hermione, Ginny," said Harry urgently, "Look I'm sorry to pester you, but would you both follow me up to my dorm?"

"Of course!" chorused Hermione and Ginny and they both followed Harry up the boys staircase.

The nanosecond Hermione and Ginny had sat down on Ron's bed while Harry sat down on his own, Harry showed Hermione and Ginny the paragraph in Wonderous Winged World that explained how magical artifacts that showed where people were in confined areas could be used to discover unregistered animagi. He then showed them the still activated Marauder's Map.

"This means," explained Harry, "That we at least know that Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black are both unregistered animagi and that Pettigrew is still alive."

"OHH!" squeaked Hermione as her eyes went very round, "Harry this BIG! Harry, Sirius Black is innocent!"

"Really?" said Harry doubtfully.

"Harry," said Hermione in a serious voice, "We've always believed that Black betrayed James and Lily and that Pettigrew went after him. But Pettigrew being alive and having a rat form shows us that it was the other way around. Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily and Black tracked him down. With Black on his tail, Pettigrew framed Black by murdering the twelve muggles and using his rat form to escape."

As Hermione's words sunk in on Harry, he realized that Hermione was right. After months of hating Black and believing in his guilt, it was hard for Harry to take this truth in. But Harry maintained his calm and asked Hermione "What do we do?"

"At this nanosecond, the most urgent thing we need to do is make sure Pettigrew stays confined in Hagrid's Hut," answered Hermione clearly, "If Pettigrew escapes then the truth escapes with him. Therefore, we will go visit Hagrid this morning and explain this situation, bringing along the bestiary and the map to prove to Hagrid we are telling the truth."

"What about Dumbledore?" inquired Harry.

"I've got a sinking feeling that Dumbledore has been manipulating us all for a long time. For the time being, we should avoid Dumbledore," replied Hermione, "Though higher authorities must be informed."

"By higher authorities, do you mean the Ministry of Magic?" asked Harry.

"Yes," confirmed Hermione.

"I suspected the possibility that we may need to get the ministry involved and that's why I asked Ginny to come with," explained Harry, "Ginny, your father works at the Ministry. I want you to owl your father and explain to him that there is a situation at Hogwarts that requires the Ministry's attention. Ask him to come to Hogwarts and meet us in Hagrid's Hut. We will show him the bestiary and the map at the same time we show Hagrid."

"I'm willing to help," said Ginny loyally, "But dad's not exactly the highest figure at the Ministry."

"But he's the one we know and once he knows there is an issue that needs the attention of the Ministry, he will know which higher figures at the Ministry should be informed and/or contacted., which admittedly, we wouldn't know." responded Harry reasonably.

"Okay then," agreed Ginny, "But I don't have an owl."

"You can borrow Hedwig," Harry told her, "Go up to the owlery and said a message to your dad, then meet us outside Hagrid's Hut. We will wait outside Hagrid's Hut until your dad arrives."

"Okay," said Ginny, and she went off to the owlery while Harry and Hermione made their way to Hagrid's Hut.


	4. Ginny's Struggles

Harry and Hermione went off to the outside of Hagrid's hut where Ginny joined them after owling her father.

"I just owled dad," said Ginny matter of factly, "Now it's a matter of waiting."

"Okay then," chorused Harry and Hermione.

"Look there, it's little miss petrifier, " snarled Collin Creevey as he passed them, pointing at Ginny.

"Collin blames you for what happened to him last year?" Harry asked Ginny incredulously.

"Yes, he does," said Ginny sadly, "After Collin, Justin, Nick, Penelope, and Hermione were revived by mandrake after the whole Chamber of Secrets ordeal had ended, they were told the FULL story of what happened."

"And Collin either doesn't understand or refuses to accept how powerful Voldemort's influence can be and that you were not acting of your own accord?" asked Harry uncomfortably.

"More the latter," said Ginny, "Collin understands that Voldemort has the power of hoodwinking, but he also told me that if I were truly his friend that my loyalty would have overridden Voldemort's influence and that if I truly cared about him I'd have had the strength to resist attacking him."

"Ouch!" replied Harry involuntarily, "There must be no worse feeling than your best friend not having faith in you."

"It does sting," said Ginny honestly, "But remember that Collin is muggleborn. Muggleborns and muggle raised students may not understand exactly what Voldemort is capable of in the same way those people who grew up in wizarding households do."

"Hermione is muggleborn and she fully appreciates how cunning Voldemort is. She never blamed you for what happened to her last year," protested Harry.

"Between how much serious reading Hermione does and you being her BFF. Hermione is in a better position to understand the terror and threat that Voldemort poses better than most muggleborns, Collin included," said Ginny fairly.

"How much do you miss Collin's friendship?" Harry asked Ginny.

"It's been hard," admitted Ginny, "My best friend at Hogwarts now is Luna Lovegood, but I don't have many opportunities to see her because she is in Ravenclaw. But's she very sweet and kind. At this point though, I don't really have any friends Gryffindor in my own year now."

Harry and Hermione both looked sad and thoughtful, but Ginny went on to reveal something even worse.

"And that's the smallest of my troubles," continued Ginny, "All year long, ever since we returned to Hogwarts for this year to start, I've been having recurring nightmares about both Tom Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets itself."

"Ginny, I think you and I should have a conversation about your nightmares later. I had similar experiences over the past two summers after fighting Voldemort at the end of each school year. Maybe I can help you by talking it though it bit," offered Harry.

"Thank you, Harry," said Ginny gratefully, "But that's not all. The Dementors aren't heling either. When a dementor gets too near me I'm forced to relive memories of Voldemort making me attack those students last year and of my nearly lifeless body lying on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets."

"That's horrible," said Hermione sympathetically, "Dementors shouldn't be anywhere near a school full of children and teenagers."

"I don't think they should be used as guards at Azkaban either," said Harry firmly, "If Voldemort ever truly comes back, the dementors will join forces with him the nanosecond he asks them."

"And they're so inhumane," added Ginny shakily, "I wouldn't wish the effects of dementors on anyone."

"Well-" began Harry but was cut off because Arthur had arrived.

"Let's go inside' said Arthur instantly, "And you three can tell me and Hagrid what's up and why it's so important."

Arthur opened the door to Hagrid's hut and stepped in.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny soon followed, with Harry carrying Sally Soar's all important bestiary Wonderous Winged World and the all important Marauder's Map.


	5. The Big Boss Comes

Hagrid, Mr. Weasley, this is HUGE!" said Harry briskly. "The first thing I need to make you two aware of is that there is a way to discover unregistered animagi."

"Really?" said Arthur, "If that is really true, I will have to inform Madam Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement."

Harry placed Wonderous Winged World down on the table and opened it to the crucial paragraph that explained how unregistered animagi can be discovered.

Hagrid and Arthur read.

"Any magical material, object, or artifact that has been created or bewitched to reveal the presence of humans in any confined area can also be used to discover unregistered animagi. This is accomplished by pointing one's wand at the material, object, or artifact in question and saying the incantation "Animagus Reivilo!" After the spell is performed, the animagus's animal form will be stated below his or her name. For example, if a witch named Karen Kitty took the form a cat, then on any material, object, or artifact that showed where humans were present in a confined area, the word "cat" would appear below the name Karen Kitty."

"And the artifact you are holding in your hand is such an artifact as this paragraph refers to?" Hagrid asked Harry.

"Yes," answered Harry instantly, "I've already perfumed the incantation to apply the labels to those people on the map who are animagi."

Harry then plopped the map down on the table next to the book.

Hagrid was looking at the names of the creators of the map and asked Harry seriously, "Where did you get this map?'

An early Christmas present from Fred and George," replied Harry.

"Where would Fred and George have gotten such an object from?" inquired Arthur.

"They told me themselves that they nicked from Filch's office when they were first years," responded Harry.

"Well then?" asked Hagrid, "Do you know who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are?"

"No," replied Harry, "And I don't care either, we have bigger fish to fry right now."

Next nanosecond, Harry used the map to show Hagrid and Arthur that Peter Pettigrew was a rat animagus and was asleep in Hagrid's Hut and that Sirius Black was a dog animagus and was asleep in the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid emitted a loud screech and said loudly, "You mean Peter Pettigrew is alive and IN MY MILK JUG!"

"Yes," said Harry clearly, "And for the time being at least, is imperative that he not escape. We need to apply an Anti Breaking Charm on the jug.

Next nanosecond, Hermione had raised her wand and performed said Anti Breaking Charm on the jug faster than a cheetah chasing its prey.

"Oh, thank you, Hermione," said Hagrid in a relived voice, "Even though I'm a teacher, I still don't actually have a proper wand you know."

"You must obtain one as soon as possible," said Arthur sharply, "Care of Magical Creatures may not require much wandwork, but all teachers should carry a properly functioning wand on them at all times. OHHH!"

"What is it Arthur?" asked Hagrid.

"He's realized, as Harry, Ginny and I did earlier, that Sirius Black is innocent," gasped Hermione.

"The clues all fit!" squealed Hagrid, "We always though Sirius betrayed James and Lily and that Peter went after Sirius, but it was the other way around, Peter betrayed James and Lily and Sirius went after Peter!"

"Pettigrew framed Black," said Arthur in a low voice, comprehension drawing on his face.

"Yes," said Hagrid.

Arthur looked Hagrid eye to eye and said, "You stay in here and watch that milk jug, if Pettigrew somehow does manage to escape from the milk jug, I want you to stun him immediately."

"I will," promised Hagrid.

"Harry, you watch that map every nanosecond while I return to the ministry and fetch Madam Bones, you keep an eye on Sirius Black. If he wakes up, fine, but if he leaves the forest, then chase him and stun him."

"Got it," replied Harry simply.

Less than half an hour later, Arthur returned with Madam Bones, who was carrying two full vials in her hand.

Arthur took the map from Harry and saw to his relief that Black was still asleep in the forest.

"Good morning, Hagrid, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Miss Weasley," greeted Madam Bones cheerfully, "We have a lot to do and I've brought Veritasiurium here to ensure we get some needed truths. But first, Mr. Potter, why were you reading a bestiary on creatures of flight in the first place."

"I was trying to find something that might help Hagrid with Buckbeak's trial," answered Harry matter of factly. "

"Who is Buckbeak?" asked Madam Bones.

"A hippogriff of Hagrid's who is on trial for attacking a student, though the full story-

"Hagrid, Arthur, you two keep watching the jug and the map respectively," ordered Madam Bones urgently.

Hagrid and Arthur both nodded firmly.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Miss Weasley, " requested Madam Bones, "I would like you three to accompany me to the Room of Requirement."

"What is the Room of Requirement?" asked Harry and Ginny in confused voices.

"A room that only appears when someone has real need of it and it always equipped for the needs of those who find it," piped up Hermione.

"How did you know that, Miss Granger?" wondered Madam Bones.

"I read about it in, Hogwarts a History," said Hermione smugly.

"Well at any rate, I will be leading us to the Room of Requirement for the use of a pensive and private discussion," explained Madam Bones.

Madam Bones, led Harry, Hermione, and Ginny into the Room of Requirement and then into the pensive she'd asked it to create.

After explaining what a pensive was and how it worked, Madam Bones turned to Harry.

"Harry, can you please show me the memory of the incident in which this hippogriff of Hagrid's attacked a student? If the hippogriff is innocent, I want to know. Bear in mind that hippogriffs should NEVER be insulted or provoked. If you can show me evidence that insult or provoking was a factor in the incident, I will use my power of head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to overrule the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, Cancel the trial, an declare the hippogriff free. If this proves to be the case, I may also wish to speak with the student in question, if appropriate."

"Okay," said Harry.

Next nanosecond, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Madam Bones were viewing a memory of Hagrid's very first Care of Magic Creatures Class.


	6. Justice for the Malfoys and Buckbeak

As Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Madam Bones watched the memory of Hagrid's first Care of Magical Creatures class, Madam Bones paid very close attention to how Hagrid introduced Hippogriffs.

"Hagrid did give the students proper warning not to insult hippogriffs," observed Madam Bones, "Was he ever charged with any wrongdoing?'

"No," answered Harry, "The committee did at least accept Dumbledore's assurances that Hagrid bore no responsibility for the incident. They strictly went after the hippogriff himself."

"Thank goodness, " said Madam Bones in a relived voice, "That's one less thing I have to deal with."

"Wow, Harry, you were really successful with Buckbeak, " said Ginny cheerfully as the memory continued.

"Harry is a good candidate to be successful with hippogriffs because he's such a respectful person, " explained Hermione, "The key to being successful with hippogriffs is respect. It's like dealing with phoenixes on a smaller scale."

Next nanosecond, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Madam Bones saw the part of the memory where Draco Malfoy had called Buckbeak "you great ugly brute."

Madam Bones was furious.

"First of all, " said Madam Bones, "That "u" word is one of the most offensive words in English and should NEVER be used. Furthermore, Mr. Malfoy knowingly and intentionally insulted a hippogriff. That was the one thing Professor Hagrid made it clear to the class that they should NOT do."

"Malfoy also greatly exaggerated his injuries, " Harry informed Madam Bones.

"I will be interrogating Mr. Malfoy with the Truth Potion known as Veritasiurium in a few minutes, " said Madam Bones, "If Mr. Malfoy's Exaggeration of his injuries was in way to any extent an attempt to get Professor Hagrid unjustly fired and/or an attempt to get Buckbeak unjustly killed, he will be expelled from Hogwarts. If Draco did indeed attempt to get Professor Hagrid unjustly fired and/or Buckbeak unjustly killed, and if Lucius turns out to have aided Draco in any such attempts. he will lose any political position(s) he currently holds. Can you three stay in here while I go question Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, " chorused Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

"There are some books for you to read in my absence, " said Madam Bones, pointing at a table.

"It doesn't look like there are any academic type books on that table, " sighed in disappointment, "May I go retrieve my copy of The Standard Book of Spells, grade 3?"

"No, " said Madam Bones firmly, "Sometimes it's good to relax and do some leisurely reading for enjoyment. Besides, Miss Granger, from your physical appearance and body language, you are already too stressed out from too heavy an academic load. I happen to know the secret arrangement you have with Professor McGonagall, and quite frankly, I think it's been bad for you. We will be discussing this later. For now, why don't do you, Mr. Potter, and Miss Wesley do some leisurely reading while I go talk to Mr. Malfoy."

"She's going to get it taken away, " muttered Hermione under her breath.

"Get what taken away?" asked Harry and Ginny.

"Can't tell you that, " said Hermione, "I promised McGonagall not tell anyone, "

"We may know soon enough anyway, " smirked Ginny.

"Madam Bones IS right, Hermione, you HAVE been attempting to way too much year."

Hermione scowled at Harry but was now resigned to doing some leisure to pass the time.

Ginny saw to her delight that one of the books available for reading on the table was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Ginny picked up The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and began reading from where she had left off reading in her own copy of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the common room.

Harry saw a book called The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a book that Harry had been yearning to read since he had finished another book he saw on the a table, a book called The Magician's Nephew, which Hermione happened to pick to up by random choice.

Madam Bones, meanwhile, made her way down to the Slytherin Common Room.

"Is Draco Malfoy in here?" asked Madam Bones.

Draco, not realizing at first that it was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who had entered, actually walked up to her and said, "I'm here."

"Can we go up to your dormitory?" asked Madam Bones.

Draco, suddenly realizing who was speaking to him, felt suddenly gleeful. Now he could testify against Hagrid and Buckbeak directly to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Draco led Madam Bones up to his dorm, which was empty.

Madam Bones closed the door and performed the strongest locking and privacy Charms that she knew on the dorm.

Madam Bones stunned Draco and fed him three drops of Veritasiurium. She then woke him.

"Mr. Malfoy, please sit down on your bed, " asked Madam Bones and Draco did as he was told.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you please tell me about your first Care of Magical Creatures lesson?" said Madam Bones.

"I was slashed by a hippogriff, " said Draco instantly.

"Did you insult said hippogriff before it attacked you?" asked Madam Bones.

"Yes, " spilled Draco, "It deserved to be insulted after favoring Potter."

"Did Professor Hagrid warn the class against insulting hippogriffs?" asked Madam Bones.

"No, " said Draco.

"Actually, " explained Madam Bones, "He did, but you weren't paying attention. At any rate, did you overstate the magnitude of your injuries?"

"Yes, " responded Draco carelessly, "Madam Pomphrey fixed my arm that very afternoon, but I pretended it took several months to heal. I had hoped to get that great oaf fired and that great ugly brute executed by making my situation out to be far worse than it actually was."

"Did you involve your father?" grilled Madam Bones.

"Yes, " smirked Draco, "His job was to pay members of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures large amounts of gold in exchange for voting Buckbeak guilty. including on the inevitable appeal."

"That's all I need to hear, " said Madam Bones in disgust.

Madam Bones stunned Draco again and fed him the antidote to Veritasiurium.

Madam Bones waved her wand a sheet paper came out.

She woke Draco up and said, "Mr. Draco Malfoy, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lucius will be removed from all political positions he holds and be ineligible to hold any political position in Wizarding Britain for the rest of his life. The International Confederation of Wizards will be informed of this."

"That ugly hippogriff slashed me-

"It was your own fault, Mr. Malfoy, " said Madam Bones coldly, "I will be dispatching an assistant to Malfoy Manor to explain the punishments to Lucius. You will be returned to Malfoy Manor and shall NOT set foot in Hogwarts ever again."

"Maybe father can get me into Durmstrang now, "snarled Draco, "I've heard it's a far better school. Their students actually learn the Dark Arts-

"Silenco!" yelled Madam Bones as she pointed her wand directly at Draco's mouth.

Draco's mouth continued to move, but no words came out.

Madam Bones then took a piece of parchment and wrote to one of her assistants in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and explained the situation surrounding the Malfoys and the assistant's job of informing Lucius,

As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Bones had the power to override most people and departments at the Ministry of Magic, including the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

Madam Bones took out an official looking sheet of parchment with both the Ministry of Magic's and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's seals on them and wrote.

"As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I hereby declare the hippogriff known as Buckbeak innocent of any wrongdoing and his trial canceled. While it is true that Buckbeak did attack a student in one of Professor Hagrid's classes, I have seen a memory that proves this was the student's own fault. Furthermore, the student in question admitted under the influence of Veritasiurium that he overstated his injuries in the hope of getting Buckbeak executed. The same student also admitted his father paid members of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures large amounts of gold in exchange for voting Buckbeak guilty. The student in question., Mr. Draco Malfoy, has been expelled from Hogwarts. His father, Mr. Lucius Malfoy, will lose all of his political positions and be ineligible for any and all political positions in Wizarding Britain for the rest of his life and the International Confederation of Wizards will be informed of this. Any member of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures or Ministry of Magic who wishes to view the memory I have of the class in question or my interview of Draco Malfoy may do so on request. Mr. Hagrid, if you are reading this, you may untether Buckbeak and let him live a normal hippogriff life again when you choose, though it would understandable if you are cautious for a few days. And a BIG thank you to Mr. Harry Potter for showing me the memory of Hagrid's first class. - Madam Amelia Bones.

Madam Bones sent out a few copies of this letter.

When Hagrid received his, he and Arthur sat stunned.

"Beaky!" cried Hagrid with tears of happiness coming down his eyes, "He's gonna be free. Though I'll keep him secure for a few days just in case."

"This is wondaful news, " said Arthur, "Justice for Buckbeak and now no need to worry about that trial."

"In essence, Harry showing Amelia that memory was Buckbeak's trial and it proved him innocent. Once the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement saw that, it set beaky up to be free. Oh, Harry."

Madam Bones returned to the Room of Requirement.

Seeing that Madam Bones had returned, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny set down their books and waited for news.

"Mr. Malfoy spilled the beans under Veritasiurium, " explained Madam Bones, "Draco Malfoy has been expelled from Hogwarts and Lucius Malfoy will lose all of his political positions, never being eligible for any political positions in Wizarding Britain ever again. "

"Good, " chorused Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Maybe without Lucius's influence we'll see a fairer government in the Wizarding World, " said Hermione in a voice that gave off an aura of cautious optimism.

"And maybe without Draco here, there'll be less bullying at Hogwarts, " added Ginny.

"And what about Buckbeak?" asked Harry.

At that nanosecond, Madam Bones handed Harry a copy of the document she'd written to free Buckbeak.

"Excellent," smiled Harry, "Hagrid will be so happy and so reviled."

"I'm glad justice was able to be done for Buckbeak, " said Madam Bones proudly.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all nodded and said, "So are we."

"But there's more justice to be done today," declared Madam Bones.


	7. Helping Hermione

Madam Bones looked at Harry, Hermione, and Ginny and said, "I'm going to step out of the room just for a minute, just to send a memo, you three can stay where you are. I'll come back in when my memo has been received.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny waited in silent patience while Madam Bones sent her memo. Madam Bones returned a few minutes later with Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, " piped up Madam Bones, "You two can stay in here, but there is an issue that needs to be sorted with Miss Granger.'

"Sorted out, " said Hermione incredulously, "What have I done?"

"You're not in any trouble, " McGonagall assured her.

"But you're not very healthy right now either, " observed Madam Pomfrey as she took one look at Hermione., "Madam Bones and Professor McGonagall have told me about your more than full class schedule. As the school nurse, may I ask, have you been skipping meals this year?"

"No," said Hermione honestly, "However, in order to get all my homework done, I've skipped sleep several nights."

"That's not that much better, " fretted Madam Pomfrey, "Children need their sleep. And students can't possibly do their best if they don't get proper rest."

"I've done my best, " insisted Hermione, "I just haven't felt my best."

"Never admit that in front of Madam Pomfrey, " said Ginny warningly, "She's fussier than mom and that's saying something."

"Miss Granger is suffering from stress related to overwork, " said Madam Pomfrey matter of factly, "And the lack of sleep makes this stress worse, leading to moodiness."

"That time turner has been driving me mad, " admitted Hermione, "I've actually decided that I'm going to hand it in at the end of the year and drop two classes before next year."

"Sooner than that," said Madam Bones firmly, "McGonagall, Pomfrey, and I have decided as a team to take this decision out of your hands."

"As your teacher, and especially as your head of house, I did you a great disservice by allowing you to take this overloaded course in the first place, " said McGonagall, "When you signed up for everything, I wrote all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic to get you a time turner. Instead, I should have come to you and worked with you to work out a reasonable schedule. "

"Are you saying I can turn in the time turner and drop two classes now?" asked Hermione.

"No, we're saying you WILL turn in the time turner and drop two classes immediately " corrected McGonagall.

"Harry did try to suggest a drop couple of subjects, " acknowledged Hermione.

"Well, it's not hard to see up close that you're doing too much, " insisted Madam Pomfrey.

"Well, we all know Divination is a load of rubbish, " decided Hermione at once, "That's an easy class to choose to drop."

"Excellent, " said McGonagall approvingly, "Divination is an imprecise and mostly useless branch of magic. If I may make a suggestion, why don't you drop muggle studies. You're muggleborn yourself. "

"I thought it would be interesting to study muggles from a wizard's point of view, " said Hermione, "But I certainly don't need that class, yeah, I'll drop that one."

"Very well, Miss Granger, I will inform Professors Trelawney and Burbage of your decisions after I leave this room, " said Professor McGonagall, "May I have the time turner?"

Hermione pulled out the time turner and handed it to McGonagall, who left at once.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Hermione and withdrew a small vial from her right pocket.

"Miss Granger, this is Dreamless Sleep Potion. I want you to take it before bed tonight. A night of deep and thoughtless sleep would do a world of good for you, " said Madam Pomfrey.

"I was only allowed to use the time turner to get to classes and for no other purpose, " explained Hermione, "So I couldn't get back in time and get back a few extra hours at night to get some sleep when my homework started to pile up."

"How did the tine turner work then?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Turning the hourglass sends the user back in time an hour. Three turns take the user back three and so forth." explained Hermione.

"Too much strain, " said Madam Pomfrey disapprovingly, "At least we've put an end to it now. I've got to go. Miss Granger remember your Dreamless Sleep Potion tonight.

Madam Pomfrey left.

"Why didn't you take the time turner?" Harry asked Madam Bones,

"McGonagall can quickly visit the Ministry to turn it in and then come back here. I don't want to leave I've sorted out EVERYTHING here that needs sorting out.

Harry nodded.

Turning to Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, Madam Bones said, "Now for something BIG!"


	8. Innocence Revealed

"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, " said Madam Bones, looking at her watch, "It's almost time for breakfast. I'm going to question Sirius Black under Veritasiurium. I will inform you three later this afternoon of the results of my interview with Sirius Black. Please meet me back in the Room of Requirement after your class this afternoon."

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny went down to breakfast while Madam Bones returned to Hagrid's Hut to find Arthur holding a stunned black dog.

"He woke up and started moving so I went and stunned him. I brought him in here and waited for you to return."

"Thank you, Arthur, " said Madam Bones gratefully, "May I take him now?"

"Yes, Madam Bones, " said Arthur and he handed the stunned black dog to Madam Bones.

Madam Bones returned to Room of Requirement, dropped a few drops of Veritasiurium down the dog's throat, then forced it to resume its human form.

Madam Bones then woke Sirius up and he looked up at her.

"My name is Madam Bones; I am head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I am going to ask you a few questions. What is your full legal name?"

"Sirius Orion Black," answered Sirius.

"Were you at any time a Death Eater?" inquired Madam Bones.

"No, " replied Sirius, "I have always hated the Dark Arts and the whole pure blood mania thing. My parents were about as big of believers in pure blood superiority as anyone. I, on the other hand, hated their bigoted nature."

"Where you the Secret Keeper for James and Lily Potter?"

Sirius face darkened.

"NO!" shouted Sirius, louder than he had intended, "It's my fault they died though, " he added in a melancholy voice, "I was the one who suggested they use Pettigrew as Secret Keeper."

"Peter Pettigrew was the Potters Secret Keeper?" asked Amelia.

"Yes!" growled Sirius in a menacing voice, "PETER BETRAYED THEM! HE SOLD TO VOLDEMORT!"

"Did anyone else know that the Potters were using Peter Pettigrew as their Secret Keeper at the time of their deaths?"

An expression now came across Sirius's face that would have terrified almost anyone.

"Albus Dumbledore!" snarled Sirius, "James told Dumbledore himself that Pettigrew was their Secret Keeper!"

"Have you ever committed murder?" grilled Madam Bones.

"No, " said Sirius bitterly, "Peter killed those twelves muggles and escaped with his rat form, framing me for those murders and his own faked death into the process. I was sent to Azkaban without a trial."

"Very well, " said Madam Bones and she gave him the antidote to Veritasiurium.

"Sirius, you were questioned under Veritasiurium and found to be innocent, " explained Madam Bones, "This going to take some sorting out. For the time being you should continue to live as a dog in the forest. However, after Hogwarts classes end for the day, I will bring you back up here and allow you to meet your godson and a couple of his friends,"

Next nanosecond, Sirius's expression did a complete turnaround.

Sirius was now wearing a broad smile and his eyes were glowing.

"Harry, " said Sirius eagerly.


	9. Guilt Proven

After Sirius had resumed his dog form and returned to the forest, Madam Bones returned to Hagrid's hut and asked Hagrid, "Hagrid, may I take the whole jug to the Room of Requirement? I don't want to risk Pettigrew escaping in transit."

"That's fine, Madam Bones," said Hagrid simply.

Madam Bones took the milk jug and walked back up back to Room of Requirement with a very businesslike mindset.

Once she was inside, she unsealed the milk jug.

The rat tried to escape, but Madam Bones was too quick for him and quickly stunned him.

Madam Bones then quickly fed a few drops of Veritasiurium down the rat's throat and forced Pettigrew into his human form.

Waking Pettigrew, Madam Bones asked, "What is your name?"

"Peter Pettigrew," answered Peter simply.

"Who were your best friends at Hogwarts?" inquired Madam Bones.

"James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin," answered Pettigrew.

"Did you support Voldemort and were you at any time a Death Eater?" grilled Madam Bones.

In response, Pettigrew rolled up his left sleeve and showed Madam Bones the Dark Mark.

"Why did you join Voldemort?" inquired Madam Bones.

"I thought he could protect me better than my old friends. He had also been gaining power and with the weapons he had he could've killed me if I refused him. It was simply in my best interests to align with the Dark Lord, " answered Pettigrew.

"And were you ever a Secret Keeper?" Madam Bones prodded.

"Yes, " spilled Pettigrew, "Sirius suggested that James and Lily use me as their Secret Keeper. James and Lily chose me as Secret Keeper in the end. I told the Dark Lord where to find them. When the Dark Lord met his downfall, I went into hiding to avoid the wrath of the Dark Lord's followers, who I feared would blame me for his downfall. I framed Sirius by yelling for the whole street to hear that he had betrayed James and Lily and used the Killing Curse to murder twelve muggles. I cut off my finger and used my rat form to escape, thus framing Sirius for my death as well as those of the muggles."

"And what became of you after that?" grilled Madam Bones further.

"I found a wizarding family, the Weasleys, to take me in. I was first Percy Weasley's and then Ron Weasley's pet. But both at the burrow and at Hogwarts I was always keeping an ear out for news. If I ever got that the Dark Lord had returned, it was always my intent to rejoin him."

"Did Voldemort have a specific plan on how to return?" Madam Bones asked Pettigrew.

"I don't know, " answered Pettigrew fretfully, "But if I ever find out, the Dark Lord can count on me to help him."

Realizing she now had enough to go on, Madam Bones forced Pettigrew back into his rat form and forced him into the jar, reapplying the Anti Breaking Charms to it.


	10. Meeting Sirius

After classes, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny returned to the Room of Requirement as Amelia had asked.

The big black dog that was Sirius was there as well.

"Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, if you two would walk to back of the room for now, I want Sirius to meet his godson one on one first."

A nanosecond later, Hermione and Ginny had zoomed to the back of the room faster than a cheetah chasing its pray without a syllable.

"Sirius, "said Amelia seriously, "The time has come. Please resume your human form."

The big black dog wagged its tail once and gave off one bark before transforming into Harry's godfather.

"HARRY!" said Sirius eagerly, running up to Harry and engulfing him in a bone crushing him, "It's about time."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Sirius, " said Harry happily, "I never even knew I had a godfather."

"Those bastards, Dumbledore and Pettigrew!" spat Sirius.

"OHHHHHHHH!" piped up Harry suddenly, "It was you I saw in dog form in Magnolia Crescent."

"Very good, Harry!" smiled Sirius.

"So, the first time I actually met you was-

"When you were a baby, "interjected Sirius, "I was always close with James and later Lily as well. I actually bought you your first toy broomstick. James was delighted to see how you took to it. It was your favorite first birthday present. You actually destroyed a vase Lily's sister Petunia sent her for Christmas."

"I've been living with Petunia and her husband since mom and dad died," explained harry.

Sirius's and Amelia's both darkened. They made no comment for now but filed away the information.

"I actually still have a letter Lily sent me thanking me for your birthday present, "said Sirius warmly, "I hope to show it to you someday."

"That would be nice, " said Harry happily, "I do have some pictures of mom and dad but the only possession of theirs I have is dad's invisibility cloak."

"You have at least two, then, ""said Sirius cheerfully, "Your father was one of the creators of the Marauder's Map. He was Prongs. Remus Lupin was Moony-

"He's our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year," Harry informed Sirius.

"I've heard, "smiled Sirius, "I know he must be a good teacher. His combination of skill and humility makes him well suited to a teaching post."

"Yes, he's a fantastic teacher, I've learned loads from him in class and he even gave my individualized Patronus lessons, " Harry informed Sirius.

Harry took his wand out of his right hand pocket, raised it, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"

As Harry's stag Patronus erupted from his wand, Sirius and Amelia looked startled.

"A corpreal Patronus at thirteen?" cried Amelia in amazement.

"Remus would be the right teacher for such a thing, but for a thirteen year to master it is stunning, " mused Sirius.

"Remus taught me the Patronus Charm because the dementors were taking an interest in me, "said Harry uneasily.

"Those creatures don't belong anywhere near a school, "said Sirius, "But I am proud of what Remus has taught you and what you have accomplished. The fucking traitor was Wormtail and I am Padfoot."

"My father and his friends created the Marauder's Map?" said harry in a surreal voice, "Wow!"

"There is another bombshell here, "smirked Sirius. "It was I who sent you the Firebolt!"

"Ha!" said Hermione triumphantly, "See I told you it was from him!"

"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" Harry grinned back.

Hermione and Ginny had come over to join Harry and Sirius.

"And who are these two fine young ladies?" Sirius asked Harry.

"This, " Harry said, indicating Hermione, "Is my BFF, Hermione Granger."

"And the other?' inquired Sirius.

"My former friend Ron's little sister, Ginny Weasley, " explained Harry/

"Former friend?" asked Sirius.

"I ended my friendship with Ron after he was a COMPLETE asshole to Hermione last week. Shaking bedsheets in her face, yelling at her in front of the whole Gryffindor Common Room, " said Harry firmly, "You DON'T treat people like that! If you do, you are not my friend, period."

"From what I heard, " piped up Ginny, "It sounded like Ron was taking his own personal problems out on Hermione."

"That's exactly what it was, " confirmed Hermione.

"Even if Ron is my brother, I'm proud of Harry for shedding him, " said Ginny heartily.

"I stayed friends with Ron too long because he was my first ever friend, " admitted Harry.

"Could Ginny replace Ron in your circle of friends?" asked Sirius.

"She's not in my year, so not exactly, but I would like to develop more of a friendship with her."

"And what's this about Hermione saying I had sent the Firebolt?" asked Sirius.

"After Christmas dinner, Hermione reported the arrival of the Firebolt to McGonagall, who confiscated it, and had it tested for jinxes. This caused a temporary falling between me and Hermione because I was angry at her for running to McGonagall. Once it tested out jinx free, McGonagall returned it."

"Well, Harry, "smiled Sirius, messing up Harry's hair, "You are my godson, but your friend was right in this case. ALWAYS exercise caution with any anonymous gift This is especially true if the gift is rare and/or expensive."

Hermione smiled at Sirius.

"I fully expected McGonagall to test it for jinxes before anyone was allowed to fly it. Harry, you should have gone to McGonagall yourself. Hermione, thank you for looking after my godson."

"Harry is brave and loyal, but also impulsive and careless, " explained Hermione.

"Not unlike myself, "smirked Sirius, "But Harry please do treat magical objects with more caution in the future, especially anonymous gifts."

"Yes, Sirius, " promised Harry, "And thank you for getting the Firebolt for me. It was awesome. But how did manage to get one?'

"I had Crookshanks take the order form to the owlery for me, " grinned Sirius.

"You know Crookshanks?" Hermione asked Sirius breathlessly, "He's mine."

"He's actually part kneazle so he can detect unsavory characters, " answered Sirius, "He knew that twisted rat was really the fifthly double crosser. Crookshanks tried to bring Peter but was unsuccessful. No matter, it's been resolved and Crookshanks has been very loyal to me."

"I did not know Crookshanks was part kneazle, " said Hermione slowly, "But that reality would make it impossible for him to have any loyalty to a person of low character."

"If I may ask, "what motivated you to escape from Azkaban?" Harry asked Sirius.

Sirius stunned Harry by dogging into his pocket and retrieving the photo of the Weasleys that had appeared in the daily Prophet the previous summer.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" said Harry, "You recognized the rat in the picture, realized he was a threat to me, knew he was at Hogwarts, and used your dog form to escape Azkaban to go after him."

"Very good, Harry, " grinned Sirius.


	11. Sirius's Advice

"Harry, " asked Sirius curiously, "Which elective are you taking?"

"Unfortunately, I had no idea about the elective classes were all about when I made my choices. I ended up choosing the same classes as Ron. I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination."

"Care of Magical Creatures is fine, but Divination was a very poor choice, " said Sirius firmly.

"That has become obvious, but it's too late now, " sighed Harry.

"Not so fast my friend, " smirked Sirius, "Hogwarts students are allowed to change electives between years provided they do some catch up studying over the summer. If you can pass a test at the start of a new school year, you can get into a new elective."

"Dropping Divination seems like a no brainer, " said Harry matter of factly, "But what should I replace it with?"

"Acinent Runes, " said Sirius at once, "More useful and more interesting."

"Harry, if you'd like I can help you catch up on Runes over the summer, " offered Hermione.

"I would like that, " said Harry brightly, "But how do I change my elective for next year?"

"Just go to McGonagall and talk it over with her at the end of the year."

"That's simple enough, " replied Harry., "Any other advice?"

"It can be tempting to goof off and be adventurous at Hogwarts. Resist such temptations and focus on your education."

"That will be much easier with Ron out of the picture, " said Harry bluntly, "I haven't realized it, but Ron has been a poor influence on me. Hermione's been right all along-

"Don't fall into the trap she did this year and kill yourself though."

"It's not as though I've earned enough trust that McGonagall would give me a Tme Turner. After Hermione's poor experience with it the Time Turner this year, I don't think approve the use of one again anyway."

"Another piece of advice I have for you, " Sirius told Harry, "Is to avoid making eye contact with other people. Some witches and wizards have a skill known as Legalimency that allows them to access the thoughts and feelings of others. This is a weapon that can be used against you in many different ways. But eye contact is usually critical to Legalimemcy so don't give it."

"I'll keep that in mind, " said Harry, "Is there anyone in particular who I should not trust?"

"Dumbledore, " said Sirius firmly, "Dumbledore is a manipulative old bastard. Don't trust him, do not allow him to seduce you into thinking he cares about you, and if you already have developed a relationship with him, then terminate it. The less you have to do with Dumbledore, the better. The less Dumbledore has to do with your life the better."


	12. A New Friend

Later that night, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were eating a dinner of spicy chicken sandwiches with pickles and lettuce, onion rings, and Michelob.

As they were eating Colin Creevey passed them and said loudly, "Hey Weasley petrified anyone recently? Harry, Hermione, you two should get away from her before you become stone-

"Mr. Creevey, that's quite enough, "said McGonagall sharply as she had overheard what Colin was saying and came to defuse the situation, "Creevey, deletion with me tomorrow night, and if something like this happens again, it will be a week's worth!"

Colin fell silent and walked away.

"It's okay, Ginny, "said Harry reassuringly, "We don't care what Creevey says. We know it wasn't your fault."

"Still has to be hard on Ginny that Colin's attitude has cost her her best friend, "said Hermione sadly.

Ginny, however, was looking sadly over at the Ravenclaw table where a girl with dirty blonde hair was eating alone.

"Hey, Harry, Hermione?" asked Ginny, "Is it okay if I invite Luna to come and sit with us. She just looks so lonely."

"Go for it, " chorused Harry and Ginny.

A few minutes and a few nanoseconds later, Ginny had returned and offered Luna an empty seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Hello, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, " said Luna in a dreamy voice, "It's nice to feel accepted somewhere. I don't have any friends other Ginny so-

"We are your friends now, "said Harry fiercely, indicating himself and Hermione, "I don't if it's legal for students to sit at hose tables other than their own and I don't care."

"I'm not accepted in Ravenclaw at all because of my father's and my beliefs in uncommon creatures and some of my weird accessories. But I don't care. I'm comfortable in my own skin, " explained Luna.

"The Ravenclaws all call her Looney, " said Ginny disapprovingly.

"That's really rude, "said Hermione.

"It's not even the worst of it, "said Ginny in a calm but clearly pissed voice, "They steal and hide her possessions. I actually came across her barefoot one day this past winter because her roommates had stolen and hidden her all of her shoes."

"Why would anyone treat their own classmate like that?" asked Harry, "I don't see any evidence that Luna has done anything to deserve dislike or poor treatment."

"SHE HASN'T! yelled Ginny, louder than she had intended, "She is shunned and mistreated just for being different."

"Luna, " said Harry fiercely, "Tell you what, you are always welcome to sit with Hermione, Ginny, and myself at the Gryffindor table during mealtimes from here on out."

Luna didn't utter a syllable. But the looks on her face were worth nine hundred octillion to the nine hundred octillionth power words.

Her eyes were glowing, and her mouth had curved into a wide smile. Luna clearly was happy to receive acceptance.

Harry and Hermione were happy too. Ginny had spoken positively about Luna and Harry and Hermione could see the truth in this now that they saw Luna up close. They were glad to make a new and genuine friend.


	13. A Dreamy Reconcilliation

Later that night, Colin Creevey had a very bad dream.

First, he dreamed that he was walking down a corridor and a giant basilisk was coming after him. Colin them saw himself carved in stone.

A few nanoseconds later, the dream changed.

In this next dream, Colin was older, a seventh year. An older Ginny had approached Colin and told him bluntly how they could have had a great seven years together as BFFs at Hogwarts if only he would have accepted her friendship.

Then the dream changed again.

In this final dream, Colin was approached by an even larger snake. Before he could see what species, it was. it had bit him on the stomach, and he was bleeding profusely.

Colin let out a scream and woke with a start. He was drenched in sweat and he look down at his stomach to see he was perfectly fine.

It had only been a dream.

Or had it?'

Colin thought about the second dream where the older Ginny had told an older him how he had a squandered a chance at a great friendship.

Then he realized how symbolic the third dream was.

It started to sink in on Colin that he was being his own snake. He was biting himself with his attitude towards Ginny. What had happened last year had not been Ginny's fault and yet he was letting himself lose his best friend over it.

Sure, Colin had struggled to come to terms with what had happened last year, but he shouldn't have let that ruin his friendship with Ginny.

Still sweating and realizing he wouldn't not be able to get back to sleep that night, Colin went down to the common and sat in one of the armchairs by the fire.

By now, Colin had tears in his eyes as he was overcome with regret.

To his surprise, Colin heard a female voice say, "Colin are you okay?"

Colin looked and saw that it was Ginny. Feeling the need to at least voice something, Colin said, "Bad dream."

"I understand, "said Ginny softly, coming over and giving Colin a pat on the back, "Was this bad dream in any way related to the Chamber of Secrets things."

"Yes," said Colin shakily.

Ginny pulled Colin into a tight hug and said, "I totally get it. I've had those bad dreams too. Harry told me earlier he had as well. I suggested to Harry, and I'll now suggest to you as well, that we meet up and discuss this sometime. I think we could all help each other by talking this over."

"I agree, "said Colin.

"I heard a scream from the second year boy's dorm and recognized your voice, "explained Ginny, "I came down from my dorm to provide help for you if you needed it."

"Thanks, Ginny, "said Colin gratefully.

"Feeling any better now?" Ginny asked Colin kindly.

"Ginny, look, I know I haven't treated you very well this year- " began Colin but Ginny forestalled him.

"Colin, I totally sympathize with your plight, " said Ginny sadly, "You haven't fully accepted what happened to you last year yet and it's been a very emotional thing for you."

"I shouldn't have used you as a scapegoat though, "admitted Colin, "I shouldn't have allowed us to become estranged over something that wasn't you fault."

"People don't behave rationally when they're emotional, "said Ginny in understanding, "Colin, you aren't a bad person. You're a very good person who bad things have happened to."

"Part of my dream, "said Colin, "Showed an older you telling an older me how I had squandered a potentially great friendship with my attitude."

Ginny realized that this was only part of Colin's dream but did not press him. Instead, Ginny said, "Fate works in funny ways. maybe it was meant for you to have that dream to receive a message."

Mustering up his courage, Colin asked Ginny, "Can you forgive me for how I've acted towards you this year?"

"I already have, "piped up Ginny with a genuine smile.

"Then can we be BFFs again?" Colin asked Ginny.

Ginny let go of Colin and burst a wide smile with her face glowing.

"I had hoped this day would come, " beamed Ginny, "We are besties again, effective immediately, now let's have a treat."

Ginny dug into her school bag and pulled a pack of two Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Opening the package, Ginny handed one Reese's Peanut Butter Cup to Colin while keeping one for herself.

As Colin and Ginny ate the candy, both felt their hearts warming. Fate may work in funny ways, but in this nanosecond, they were just glad to be friends again.


	14. Guardianship Chnage

Next morning, Harry was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Hermione, Colin, Ginny, and Luna, who had come over to sit with them again, they had just finished an enjoyable breakfast of pancakes, sausage patties, and Jim Beam when Madam Bones approached the table.

"Mr. Potter, I need to talk to you one on one in the Room of Requirement, " said Madam Bones seriously.

Harry followed Madam Bones up to the Room of Requirement.

Once they were inside, Madam Bones looked Harry eye to eye and said, "You are being removed from the Dursleys care effective immediately. Your parents will was illegibly sealed by Dumbledore. I was able to unseal it and read it yesterday. One of the first things James and Lily make clear in their will is that under NO circumstances should you ever be left in the care of Petunia and Vernon Dursley or even have anything to with them. Lily herself stated that "Petunia and Vernon have a deep seated hatred of magic and any magical child left in their care will be subject to abuse."

"Dumbledore must have wanted me put with the Dursleys so that I would be treated poorly there and come to Hogwarts downtrodden, thus allowing himself to gain my trust when I found life at Hogwarts better than my home life."

"That is my view as well, " agreed Madam Bones, "Both Dumbledore and the Dursleys will be dealt with in time. For now, you should know this: Your parents named three possible guardians for you should anything happen to them: myself, Remus Lupin, and their preference, Sirius Black."

"Hagrid was never considered?"

"No he was not, "explained Madam Bones, "They don't explain this in their will, but they told me while they were still alive that while they greatly valued their friendship with Hagrid, they did not trust him to raise a child, feeling he was a bit irresponsible. Though they'd have been okay with Hagrid raising you if it came to it. More okay than with the Dursleys raising you at any rate."

"So, what does it all mean for me then?" Harry asked Madam Bones.

"With Sirius now known to be innocent, I have officially transferred your guardianship to Sirius Black. You will be going to live with him once the Hogwarts year ends."

"Really?" croaked Harry with tears of happiness forming in his eyes.

"Really, " smiled Madam Bones, "If it had been for that manipulative old bastard, you'd have been raised by Sirius all along."

"Dumbledore never fought or vouched for Sirius's innocence even though he knew of it because Sirius being innocent would wreck his plans, " said Harry bitterly.

"That is obvious now, " sighed Madam Bones.

"I look forward to living with Sirius then, " smiled Harry.

"He looks forward to just as much, " said Madam Bones kindly.

"It's a relief I don't have to go back to the Dursleys, " added Harry.

"Speaking of which, " piped up Madam Bones matter of factly, "The Dursleys were receiving a one hundred galleon stipend per month from the Potter vault at Gringotts for your care such as for food, clothes, and medical stuff. By law, as they did not use it on you, you are entitled to restitution of that money, plus an equal amount of money from them in punitive damages, should you choose to take it."

"I'd like to seek the restitution because that money should be rightfully mine, " said Harry decisively, "I won't seek any money beyond that."

"Very well, Mr. Potter, you may go to your first class now, " said Madam Bones.


	15. Dealing with the Dursleys

After dismissing Harry, Madam Bones, armed with a camera, a vial of Dreamless Sleep Potion, a vial of Veritasiurium in her right hand pocket, and her wand apparated to Number Four Privet Drive.

Madam Bones captiously knocked on the door and stood a few steps back while cautiously waiting for an answer.

"Who are you?" asked Petunia Dursley as she opened the door with her husband Vernon behind her.

"I am Amelia Bones, " explained Madam Bones, "I am Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Got lost, " said Petunia stiffly, "Your kind aren't welcome here."

"Yeah, "agreed Vernon firmly, "We don't any more freaks in this house."

Madam Bones withdrew her raised her wand and pointed it at Vernon.

"Stupefy!" cried Madam Bones and Vernon Dursley fell to the floor.

Madam Bones then pointed her wand at Petunia and cried "Stupefy!" and Petunia too fell to the floor.

With Vernon and Petunia both stunned and Dudley at school, Madam had an opportunity to investigate the place.

Madam Bones made a few movements with her wand and said a few nonverbal spells, then looked around the house to see which areas had lit up the mos.

To her dismay, the cupboard under the stairs was by far the most lit.

Opening the door, Madam Bones saw an old cot and pillow with no sheets or case but multiple blood stains. In the very back of the cupboard was a small piece of white paper with small black pen writing on it that read "Harry's room."

Madam Bones took a few pictures of what she saw there and then went up to the bedroom Harry had been using the last few years.

She didn't find anything egregious there, so she went back to where Vernon and Petunia lie stunned and forced a few drops of Veritasiurium down their throats.

After waking them, she asked them.

"Are you Vernon and Petunia Dursley?" asked Madam Bones.

"Yes, " chorused Vernon and Petunia.

"Has, your nephew, Harry Potter, ever lived in this house?" Madam Bones questioned Petunia.

"Yes, " answered Petunia simply.

"Were getting paid to care for Harry?" Madam Bones grilled the Dursleys.

"One Hundred Galleons per month, intended to be used for Harry's food, clothes. and medical stuff." admitted Petunia.

"Did you actually spend that money on Harry?" inquired Madam Bones.

"No, the freak didn't deserve it, " replied Vernon angrily.

"How did that money get spent then?" asked Madam Bones.

"Some extra nice birthday and Christmas presents for Dudley and some nice vacations for Petunia, Dudley, and me, " smiled Vernon.

"Did you ever hit Harry with your frying pans?" Madam Bones questioned Petunia.

"Yes, " said Petunia stiffly, "We expect the boy's cooking to come out right and if it doesn't, then he deserves to be punished."

"Damn straight, " agreed Vernon.

"And you, " Madam Bones rounded on Vernon, "Did you ever smack Harry with your belt?"

"Yes, " said Vernon proudly, "Marge is right, we should have this nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it."

"Where did Harry sleep while he lived here?" grilled Madam Bones.

"Most of his life, in the cupboard under the stairs. " grinned Vernon, though his grin faded when said, "We moved Harry into Dudley's second bedroom to test whether we spied on after the freak got a letter from that disgusting school with a very specific address."

"Do you buy Harry new clothes?" Madam Bones inquired.

"No, he doesn't deserve them. He can make do with Dudley's hand me downs, " said Petunia indifferently while carelessly adding, "We don't get him new glasses either. Again, he doesn't deserve them. He can make do with us taping the old ones."

"Do you know if Dudley has ever hit Harry?" Madam Bones asked Vernon and Petunia.

"He has, " admitted Vernon, "And that's okay. If Dudley wants to use the freak as a punching bag, fine by me."

"And finally, have you ever used withholding of meals as a punishment?"

"Absolutely, " said Vernon fiercely, "Freaks need to be dealt harshly sometimes."

Madam Bones now stunned Vernon and Petunia again, fed them the antidote to Veritasiurium, conjured a pair of handcuffs, used the handcuffs to restrain Vernon and Petunia, and woke them up.

"Vernon and Petunia Dursley you are hereby under arrest. You are guilty of child abuse, child neglect, child endangerment, and theft. By law, since you did not spend the money for Harry's care that was explicitly allocated for that purpose, you are legally required to repay Harry all of the money you received for his care as restitution. I will be stopping by Gringotts after I leave here and seeing to it that money is returned to the Potter family vault. You have forfeited custody of Harry, who is now the ward of his godfather, Sirius Black. In addition to theft, you are also guilty of multiple counts of child abuse, child neglect, and child endangerment. You will be transferred to Ministry holding cells while your fate is determined. Owing to length, frequency, and severity of your crimes, I am going to recommend thirty years in Azkaban."

A nanosecond later, Madam Bones grabbed Vernon and Petunia and apparated to the Ministry and put Vernon and Petunia in separate holding cells that had been bewitched with strong Anti-Escape Spells that Vernon and Petunia would have no chance of overcoming.


	16. Dealing with Dumbledore

The nanosecond she'd finished her business at Gringotts getting the money that rightfully belonged to the Potters returned to their vault, Madam Bones apparated back o Hogwarts.

Still armed with her wand, handcuffs, and Veritasiurium, Madam Bones made her way to Dumbledore's office.

"Goodness, Amelia, " said Dumbledore in surprise, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Believe me, Albus, I take no pleasure in being here right now, " answered Madam Bones while restraining Dumbledore with the handcuffs.

"You're going to arrest me when I haven't done anything wrong?" mused wrong.

"If you truly believe haven't done anything wrong, then I don't think you have any appreciation for what the word "wrong" means," said Amelia coldly, "You are guilty of numerous serious crimes."

"I have never murdered, raped, or assaulted anyone, " insisted Dumbledore.

"Don't try to set a straw man, Dumbledore, " said Madam Bones frostily, "You are guilty of the illegal sealing of a will, the unlawful disobeying of a will, framing, withholding of evidence, theft, child neglect, child endangerment, child manipulation, and promotion of danger."

Dumbledore looked puzzled so Madam Bones continued her explanation, never giving Dumbledore a nanosecond of eye contact.

"Dumbledore, you sealed the Potters wills, send Harry to live with Vernon and Petunia Dursley against his parents' wishes, and never bothered to check up on Harry as he grew up. You also knew that Sirius Black was innocent, and that Peter Pettigrew was both the double crosser and the murderer of the muggles. Because you knew about this and never made any effort to get Sirius a trail, never even spoke out in his defense, you are guilty of withholding of evidence. The fact this led to the unjust imprisonment of Sirius Black, thus, through your deliberate silence you framed Sirius Black for Peter Pettigrew's transgressions. You are also guilty of child manipulation. The very reason you wanted Harry with Vernon and Petunia is that you wanted him treated poorly so that when his Hogwarts life was better than his home life, he would trust you and become loyal to you. You are also of child endangerment relative to every student at Hogwarts due to keeping dangerous creatures, areas, and objects within the school." said Madam Bones icily.

"Well, " said Dumbledore matter of factly, "I sent Harry to his aunt and uncle because he was safer there. You see while Harry lives where his mother's blood dwells, there Voldemort cannot harm him, nor can any Death Eater or Dark Wizard."

"If you're saying that there were blood wards, they wouldn't have worked, " said Madam Bones clearly, "In order for blood wards to truly work, genuine love must exist."

"They must have worked. Harry was never hurt while on Privet Drive, " said Dumbledore.

"That's so factually false there's no way to put in perspective how untrue it is, "said Madam Bones with a chill in her voice, "Harry's aunt and uncle hit him with their belt and frying pan, allowed their son to bully Harry and others-"

"I never knew about most of those things, " said Dumbledore carelessly.

"THAT ONLY PROVES YOUR GUILT WITH REGARD TO NEGLECTING HARRY!" shouted Madam Bones, "You never cared enough about Harry to check on his well-being. You never cared about Harry Potter the person. only about Harry Potter the tool."

"It's all for the Greater Good-" began Dumbledore but Madam Bones cut him off.

"Don't give me that nonsense, " said Madam Bones bitterly, "You wanted to raise Harry to be a sacrificial lamb when Voldemort returned so that you could defeat Voldemort in your own way, take all the credit, and bask in the glory of being the one who got rid of the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore sat stunned.

"I have transferred Harry's guardianship to Sirius Black. It is done and finished. The Dursleys are in ministry holding cells and I plan on recommending thirty years in Azkaban for them. I have restored the money they were given for Harry's care but spent on vacations for themselves to the Potters vault. Harry's and Sirius's satiations are just about fixed, and justice is coming for the Dursleys. Your manipulations have been found and undone. There are also Hogwarts issues here."

"Such as?" questioned Dumbledore.

"Why are dangerous creatures such as cerberuses and acromantula allowed to be kept at Hogwarts? Why haven't the school brooms been replaced for decades? I have also checked into your staff the last few days. Why is Severus Snape teaching here? He was a Death Eater."

"He turned spy for us before the war ended at great personal risk, "" said Dumbledore fiercely.

"Even if that is true, no one with ANY history of being a Death Eater should be teaching children, " said Madam Bones, "It has also come to my attention that Snape bullies non Slytherin students at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore remained silent for several minutes and several nanoseconds.

"You can't even think what to say to defend yourself, " said Madam Bones, "Well, effective immediately, you are being removed from the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts. You are hereby for all political positions in Wizarding Britain for the rest of your life. You will be fined nine hundred octillion galleons. You will be taken to a ministry holding cell and I plan to recommend life in Azkaban for you. I will be announcing the new Headmaster of Hogwarts to the students at dinner tonight."

Madam Bones took Dumbledore to the ministry holding cells and placed him in one of them that had strong anti disapparation wards on it.

Madam Bones then returned to Hogwarts in time to make the big announcement.


	17. Changes in Staff

As dinner started in the Great Hall that night, Madam Bones stepped up to the staff table and made an announcement that the students should remain in the Great Hall after dinner owing to some big news about Hogwarts that was going to be delivered.

Harry, Hermione, Colin, Ginny, and Luna sat in their favorite seats at the Gryffindor table as the food appeared.

Tonight's meal was a plate of piping hot spaghetti with a thick tomato sauce and some hamburger meat mixed in with a side of breadsticks and Corona Extra to wash it down with. Dessert was Vanilla ice cream with M&Ms, and rainbow sprinkles mixed in.

Once dinner and dessert were done, Madam Bones spoke to the students in a serious voice, "Owing to some legal issues surrounding Professor Dumbledore that you will all learn more about in the days to come, it has become necessary to remove him from the post of Headmaster of Hogwarts, As I am the person who removed Dumbledore from his post, it was my responsibility to fill the post. Now I believe this person to be both very skilled yet humble at the same time."

"So, the antithesis of Gilderoy Lockhart!" piped up Harry.

"I guess you could say that, " smirked Madam Bones, "Please welcome the new headmaster of Hogwarts, Remus Lupin."

Remus, who was already sitting at the staff table because of his position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, received a warm round of applause from almost the entire student body.

"Remus, would you like to speak?" asked Madam Bones.

"Yes, " said Remus and he told the students, "As I've only known of my new job for a few hours, I haven't done much planning. You will hear more from me in the days to come about changes at Hogwarts. But here are a few big ones. Effective immediately, Severus Snape has been fired form the post of Potions Master. Severus Snape was a Death Eater. "

"Told you so, " chorused Harry and Ginny to Hermione, who slumped in defeat.

"Dumbledore claims that Snape turned spy for us at great personal risk, " explained Lupin, "Whether this is true is unclear, but even if it is true, under my regime, no witch or wizard who ever worked for a dark witch or wizard will ever be allowed to teach at Hogwarts. People with such histories should not work jobs where they work with children."

There was a huge round of applause at that and Lupin continued, "Let me introduce our new Potions Master."

A man who had been hiding in the back of the hall now came forward. Like Snape, he had black hair and eyes. But the hair was far neater and the eyes far warmer.

"Hello, " said the man as he reached the staff table, "My name is Brian Brew and I will be taking Potions from here on out. I look forward to meeting you all and working with you,"

"I can just tell he's such much nicer than Snape, " said Colin warmly.

"Yes, " agreed Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Now, " Lupin went on, "As I am now headmaster, we need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

This time, a short burette woman with green eyes who had also been hiding in the back of the hall came forward.

"Good evening, " said the woman kindly, "My name is Pamela Protect. I have agreed to take the Defense Against the Arts Job to finish out the school year. If I enjoy the job and if my students and Professor Lupin are satisfied with my job performance, I will return next year."

"I like her already, " said Hannah Abbott from the Hufflepuff table, ""No boasting, just a nose to the grind and wait and see attitude."

"I agree totally, " added Ernie Macmillan, "If someone is boasting about himself or herself, he or she is probably a phony. Lockhart is a case in point."

"Filch has been sacked, " Lupin informed them to massive cheers, "The work that was done by Filch will now be done by house elves."

"All teachers will be evaluated the rest of the year., " continued Lupin, "I reserve the right to fire any teacher at the end of the year if he or she is not up to snuff. There are some other major changes coming to Hogwarts but I'm in the process of working out the details. You should expect to hear more in a few days. For now, you are dismissed."

After the announcement, Harry made his way up the staff table.

"Congratulations, Professor Lupin, " said Harry with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Harry, " said Lupin warmly, "I only hope I can live up to the responsibility the position requires."

"You will!" said Harry confidently.


	18. Punishments and Plans

After Harry had congratulated Lupin on being named the new headmaster of Hogwarts, he was approached by Arthur Weasley.

"Harry, would you follow me to the Room of Requirement? I'd like to ask you a few questions. "

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, " replied Harry and he walked up to the Room of Requirement with Mr. Weasley.

Once they were inside, Mr. Weasley looked Harry in the face as closely as he could without making eye contact and said, "Harry, I noticed when I came here yesterday that Ron was not with you, Hermione, and Ginny. Is something wrong between you and Ron?"

Harry's face darkened and a menacing growl emitted from his mouth.

"That asshole is no longer my friend after the horrible way he treated Hermione last Thursday. Ginny supports my decision to eject Ron from my life, " said Harry fiercely.

Can I see the memory of Ron mistreating Hermione that caused you to severe ties with him?" requested Mr. Weasley.

"Absolutely, " said Harry firmly, "As a parent, you have the right to know if your child isn't behaving in a manner that you would have raised him or her to be."

Harry and Mr. Weasley stepped into the pensive and they watched Harry's memory of Ron shaking bedsheets in Hermione's face and yelling at her in front of whole common room.

Mr. Weasley was a bit stunned at what he saw and by the time the memory had ended Mr. Weasley was furious.

"I RAISED MY CHILDREN BETTER THAN THAT!" screamed Mr. Weasley.

When Mr. Weasley had calmed down, he said, "Harry, thank you for ending your friendship with Ron, Ron doesn't deserve friends if that's how he's going to treat them.'

"Exactly, " agreed Harry at once, "True friends don't shake materials in the faces of their friends. True friends don't yell at their friends and especially not in as public a setting as the Gryffindor Common Room. True friends don't take their own personal problems out on their friends,"

"I could not have said it better myself, " said Mr. Weasley clearly, "Harry please remain in this room while I go fetch Ron, once I've returned, then you may leave."

Harry did as he was told. When Mr. Weasley returned, Harry returned to the common room while Mr. Weasley took Ron into the Room of Requirement.

"Ron, " said Mr. Weasley once they were inside, "You are a disgrace to the family, and I am ashamed to have you as a son."

"Where did that come from?" asked Ron, who looked and sounded more confused than shocked.

"I noticed yesterday you weren't with Harry, Hermione, and Ginny when I responded to Ginny's owl. I asked Harry if there was something wrong between you and him. He stated that he had ended his friendship with you because of how horribly you had treated Hermione last Thursday. At my request, Harry showed me a memory of the episode in question. You shook bedsheets in Hermione's face, yelled at her in front of whole common room, and took your own personal problems out on her. I raised you better than that, " replied Arthur angrily.

Ron said nothing.

"First, " said Mr. Weasley, "You must be punished. "

And Mr. Weasley took his right hand and spanked Ron as hard as he could three times.

"In addition to the spankings you just received, I have talked with the new headmaster. Professor Lupin has agreed to ban you from all of this year's remaining Hogsmeade visits and you will serve a detention on the day of the Quidditch Final by coming to the Room of Requirement where you spend the time of the match by yourself. Professor Lupin will come up and dismiss you after the match is over. Now, If Harry, Hermione, and Ginny choose to accept you as a friend again, I won't interfere because it's not my place to do so. But I sincerely hope they don't. I hope Harry, Hermione, and Ginny never speak to you or hang out with you ever again."

Ron just stood speechless.

Finally, Ron settled on saying, "But Colin and Ginny made up."

"That was different, " said Mr. Weasley matter of factly, "Colin had been through a traumatic experience and was reacting emotionally. It just took him some time to get over that. As a parent, the way Colin apparently acted towards Ginny for much of this year does bother me and I know Ginny was very deeply hurt by it. But it is true that Ginny did petrify Colin last year although it was absolutely not her fault. Collin's behavior, though hurtful, was at least understandable. The way you treated Hermione is indefensible by every known standard. Now that Colin and Ginny have rectified, and since Ginny became closer with Harry and Hermione when she and Colin were on the outs, I sincerely hope that Colin and Ginny become closer with Harry and Hermione and that they form somewhat of a quartet."

Ron said nothing and Mr. Weasley warned him, "If I hear about another incident like this, you will be pulled from Hogwarts, do you understand?"

"Yes, " said Ron sulkily.

"Then go away and get out of my sight, " finished Mr. Weasley.

Ron walked away and went to his dorm room and went to bed early.

Back in the common room, Colin Creevey was making a proposal.

Colin, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting in armchairs by the fire when Colin piped up.

"Hey, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, you realize that we are allowed to leave Hogwarts for the Easter holidays?"

"Yes, " chorused Harry, Hermione, and Ginny simply.

"Well, I know my parents are muggles and I live in a muggle house. But I would like to invite you three to spend the Easter holidays with me. I already have mon's and dad's approval as well as McGonagall's and Lupin's, so you just have to accept or decline. This would cover the whole Easter holiday period. I should warn you that we only have one spare bedroom. Harry, we would let you sleep in that room and have a proper bed. But, Hermione, Ginny, you two would have to sleep in sleeping bags. Be warned of that before you decide whether to accept."

"What would Easter actually be like at the Creevey's?" asked Harry.

"On Easter day itself, In the morning we would wake up to Easter baskets and spend a good part of the morning having an Easter egg hunt. At dinner mom and dad always make a big ham dinner for Easter. There would also be a big surprise in the afternoon. Holistically, I'm excited for this opportunity to have my friends visit me for the Easter Holidays, that is, should you three accept the proposal."

"I'm all in, " said Harry.

"Me two, " smiled Hermione.

"Me three, " grinned Ginny.

"Okay, I look forward to having you three.' smiled Colin.

Mr. Weasley, who had followed Ron back to the common room before Ron went up to bed, smiled.

"Excellent, " said Mr. Weasley brightly, causing Colin, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny to look up at him.

"I had both hoped and sensed after your reconciliation with Colin that you and Colin would become closer with Harry and Hermione. I'm pleased to see my daughter have some really good friends." Mr. Weasley told Ginny with a smile.

"And we're lucky to have her as a friend too, " smiled Harry as Hermione and Colin nodded.

"And, " piped up Harry, "In other news, Jimmy is no longer cracking corn and I do care."

Arthur, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny burst into a fit of giggles.


	19. Arriving at Colin's

The evening before the Easter holidays began, Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny overheard Ron pleading with Fred and George.

"You two, " Ron was saying, "As clever as you are, can surely come up with ways for me to get to Hogsmeade and see the Quidditch final."

"We could, " began Fred.

"But, " said George firmly, "We feel the punishments handed down by Remus and dad-

"Are exactly why our meanie of a little brother deserves, '" finished Fred.

"And, " added George, "If you ask us this favor again, you will find yourself on the receiving end of our pranks, and we do mean plural."

Ron haughtily walked off and went up to bed.

"Good for the twins, " said Harry proudly, loud enough for Fred and George to hear, "Not letting that sleezeball bait them."

"They mean business when they say they will prank Ron if he pesters them again, " said Ginny in a satisfied voice.

"You better believe we do, " chorused Fred and George seriously.

"What's sad, " said Hermione matter of factly, "Is that Ron is still trying to find ways to get other people to get him out of his mess instead of taking any responsibility himself."

"True, " agreed Colin, "But let's focus on us. We need to go to the headmaster's office and see Professor Lupin.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny followed Colin out of Gryffindor Tower and to Lupin's office.

Colin knocked on the door, and Lupin opened it to allow Harry, Collin, Hermione, and Ginny into his office.

"Before you leave, " Lupin told Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny, "Let me tell you that I have made a few major decisions regarding the future of Hogwarts. The announcements regarding what this entails will occur at breakfast the day after Easter."

"We look forward to learning what you've decided, " said Harry crisply as Colin, Hermione, and Ginny nodded.

"I'm going to send you four to the Creevey household, but there is something you four need to do first. You will be using portkeys, but there is something you four need to do first. Lupin opened his trunk and pulled out four cans of Miller Lite.

"Your four need to drink these and then hold onto the cans, " explained Lupin, "When the cans are empty, I will turn them into portkeys."

Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny drank the Miller Lites and as he said, Lupin pointed his wand at each of the empty cans in turn and cried "Portus."

About a minute later, Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny landed smack dab in the middle of the Creevey's living room.

A nanosecond later, a man and woman came rushing up to hug Colin.

"Mom! Dad! It's great to see you again, " said Colin joyfully.

"We're so happy to have you home for Easter, " said Mr. Creevey brightly.

"And a warm welcome to you three as well, " added Mrs. Creevey, pointing at Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ginny Weasley, " introduced Colin, pointing to each of them in turn.

"It's wonderful to meet you all, " said Mrs. Creevey as she shook Harry's, Hermione's and Ginny's hands.

"We're delighted to meet Colin's friends, " said Mr. Creevey warmly, "I hope you find your stay here fun and enjoyable."

"It's nice you as well, Mr. Mrs. Creevey, " grinned Harry.

"You can call me Hugh and my wife Tina, " smiled Mr. Creevey.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny nodded and smiled.

At that moment, a child who looked like Colin but was a little younger came zooming into the living room.

"Harry, Hermione, Ginny, " piped up Colin happily, indicating the boy who had just entered the room, "This is my little brother, Dennis, he's two years below me and will start at Hogwarts in September."

"HARRY?!" screamed Dennis excitedly, "HARRY POTTER?!"

"Dennis, " said Colin seriously, "Harry is who you think he is, but be aware that he HATES that fanboy and fangirl stuff. I'm sorry to say that I was very worst of that kind of person last year. Having now gotten over that, I'm now getting the opportunity to strike up a good friendship with Harry."

"You need to think of Harry as Harry Potter and not The Boy Who Lived, " Ginny told Dennis firmly.

"And Harry HATES his fame, " said Hermione clearly, "No one wants to be famous for the reasons that Harry is famous."

After about a minute of calming down, an apologetic Dennis said, "Sorry, Harry, look, I don't mean to b-

"It's alright, Dennis, " said Harry reassuringly, "I'll learn what kind of person you really are during my stay here and judge you fairly and accordingly."

Dennis now gave Harry, Hermione, and Ginny handshakes.

"Colin, " said Ginny sincerely, "I just want to thank you having us over to stay. I'm really looking forward to spending the Easter holidays with my bestie and it was jolly decent of you to invite Harry and Hermione as well."

"The pleasure is all mine, " beamed Colin.

"We need to thank Hugh and Tina as well because they didn't have to grant Colin permission to do this, " acknowledged Harry.

Hugh and Tina just smiled.

"Now, let Dennis and I give you three a tour of the house, " Colin told Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.


	20. The Bird and the Bet

"The Creeveys house has four bedrooms, " explained Colin, "All on the west side of the house. My bedroom is the one most to the north. Dennis's bedroom is second to the north, the guest room is third to the north, and the master bedroom where mom and dad sleep is the one most to the south."

Next nanosecond, Colin led Dennis, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny to his bedroom.

Perhaps appropriately for someone had always been happy and go lucky, the walls in Colin's bedroom were a vivid yellow and his bed, which was located at the south side of the room, had bedsheets and pillowcases that were a slightly paler yellow. Almost absentmindedly, the five of them all sat down on Colin's bed.

They had only been seated for a nanosecond when Fawkes the Phoenix surprisingly swooped into the room.

Fawkes immediately went for Harry and settled himself on Harry's knee. Fawkes then let out one note of song.

"Hello, Fawkes, " said Harry politely, "I'm sorry about your master turned out to be."

Fawkes vigorously shook his head at motion of the word master.

Realizing what this might mean, Harry asked Fawkes clearly, "Are you still loyal to Dumbledore?"

Fawkes shook his head again.

"Do you wish to detach yourself from Dumbledore?" grilled Harry.

Fawkes quietly nodded his head.

"Phoenixes can change masters, " explained Hermione, "But this can only be accomplished if the phoenix catches fire and rises from the ashes on the new master's knee."

A nanosecond later, Fawkes burst into flame right upon Harry's knee. But minute later he had indeed risen from the ashes.

"Does this mean, " said Ginny, hardly daring to believe it, "That Harry is now Fawkes's master?"

Fawkes nodded.

"Does that mean?" inquired Harry, "That you will now not only be loyal to me but come to the aid of people who show loyalty to me?" asked Harry.

Fawkes nodded.

"Fawkes has come to realize what Dumbledore truly is and decided to seek out a worthier master, " guessed Colin.

Fawkes nodded.

"This is incredible, " said Ginny with a grin, "Not only has Fawkes abandoned Dumbledore but he's chosen Harry.'

"I suspect Dumbledore may have been controlling Fawkes before and that Fawkes has found a way to break free of that control, " observed Hermione, "Once he was able to throw that influence, he sought out a master of higher character."

"I only hope I can live up to the responsibility of a being a phoenix master, " said Harry solemnly.

"Dennis, Harry, Hermione, " grinned Colin, "Ginny and I have a bombshell shell of our own."

"What might that bombshell be?" inquired Harry.

"Apparently, Ginny has historically been great at Easter egg hunts and so have I, " grinned Colin, "Ginny and I have a bet on who can get more Easter eggs between the two of us during our Easter egg hunt here."

"Ginny, " said Harry sharply, "I don't think you should be gambling, not even on a low level scale. I know you don't have much money-

"Oh, it's not a monetary bet, " smirked Ginny.

"Let me take a guess, " said Hermione, "Colin and Ginny have a hair bet. If Ginny wins, Colin has to grow his hair super long and if Colin wins Ginny has to cut her hair super short."

"Not a bad guess at all, " admitted Colin, "But still wrong. As you know, Ginny and I will be third years next year. That means we will be visit Hogsmeade for the first time. Our bet is that the loser has to go into Hogsmeade naked on the first visit."

"Wow, that's a pretty juicy bet, " grinned Harry.


	21. Easter at the Creeveys

On Easter morning a few hours after breakfast, Harry, Collin, Dennis, Hermione, and Ginny all met living room around 10 A.M. to find the Easter baskets that Hugh and Tina had left out for them. Hugh and Tina had told them the night before that they would put out the Easter baskets between the end of breakfast and 10 A.M.

As they had some time to kill between breakfast and 10 A.M. l, Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, and Ginny all went up to Colin's room and watched Colin's VHS tape of Terminator 2 Judgement Day to kill the time. (A/N: regarding the etc. Remember that the Creevey household is a muggle household, also remember that this is set in 1994 so that's why VHS instead of DVD, Blu Ray, or a DVR.)

When harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, and Ginny went to living room to find their Easter baskets, they saw that each of them had a name tag on it to signify whose it was, and they all contained Easter candy.

"Help yourselves to your Easter baskets, " said Tina when the kids had entered the living room, "Let's not eat too much candy all at once, but you can see what you've got."

Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, and Ginny all took the plastic wrappers off their Easter baskets and saw that their halls included Lindt's chocolate Easter bunnies, peeps, Cadbury cream eggs, Hershey's kisses, and Jelly Belly jellybeans.

"Cadbury Cream Eggs!" piped up Colin and Dennis joyfully, "Our favorites."

"Lindt's makes great chocolate, " beamed Ginny, "These bunnies will be yummy yummy yummy!"

"Why don't you all pick one candy to eat right now and save the rest for later, " suggested Tina.

Colin and Dennis went for their Cadbury Cream Eggs while Harry, Ginny, and Hermione went for their Lindt's chocolate bunnies. There were various mutterings of "yummy" and "delicious" as Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, and Ginny each ate their chosen candy. This was an enjoyable start to their Easter day activates.

Around 11 A.M. they all went out back for the 1994 Creevey Easter Egg hunt.

The Creeveys backyard had lush green grass that was slightly above average in height.

"Okay, " said Hugh, addressing Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, and Ginny, "Tina and I have hidden fifty Easter eggs in the lawn. Whoever finds the most eggs will be the winner. These are plastic eggs in the classic Easter pastel colors of yellow, sky blue, pink, pale orange and light green. I will be watching the event unfold and will say "ONE!" when only the final egg is left.

And so, they went off.

It was clear from the get-go that Colin and Ginny were the two best Easter egg hunters. Each of them found his or her first egg only a few seconds into the hunt whereas Harry, Dennis, and Hermione each took over two minutes to find his or her first egg.

The kids were all furiously trying to collect as many Easter eggs as they could. When any of the kids found an egg, he or she scooped it up quickly without much thought. They were all having a blast trying to find the eggs and within forty minutes, Hugh had screamed "ONE!"

There was a quite a battle for the very last egg, a yellow one. Colin and Ginny could both tell that they were carrying a similar amount of eggs and they knew this last egg might matter. It looked like Ginny would get the last egg when she and Colin saw it at the same time and Ginny had a few steps lead on Colin. But just as Ginny was reaching down for the last egg, Colin dived for it. Lying on the ground, Colin snatched the last egg just before Ginny could get it.

"Time to reveal the results of the 1994 Creevey Easter egg hunt, " said Hugh dramatically, "In fifth place with five eggs recovered, Hermione Granger. In fourth place with seven eggs recovered, Dennis Creevey. In third place with nine eggs recovered, Harry Potter. In second place with fourteen eggs recovered, Ginny Weasley. And the winner of the 1994 Creevey Easter egg hunt with fifteen eggs recovered is Colin Creevey!"

"YES!" yelled Colin ecstatically, "I'm the Easter egg hunt champion AND I won my bets with Ginny!"

"So that means, " remembered Harry, who couldn't help enjoying a smile at Ginny's expense, "That Ginny has to go into Hogsmeade naked on her first visit next October!"

"That's right!" smirked Colin, grinning at Ginny, "I look forward to seeing Ginny go into Hogsmeade naked in October and being one of the many people to give her some good natured ribbing and razing about it. As I'm sure Harry and Dennis will as well."

"Fred and George will give me some ribbing and razing about that too, that's for sure, " said Ginny with a wry smile.

"But Colin cheated to get that last egg, " protested Hermione.

"No, he didn't, " said Ginny sharply, throwing Hermione a warning look, " He won fair and square. Colin simply used a clever and cunning, but still fair, trick to win. Colin just showed us all he has a Slytherin side to him. Colin, I want to shake your hand. The way you won our Easter egg hunt was ingenious and I'm really proud of you. "

Colin and Ginny exchanged a very sincere handshake and Ginny said "Congratulations, Colin, you're a very worthy champion "

"I knew I was going against the best Easter egg hunter I'd ever competed against, " explained Colin, "So I tried to think in advance of some tactics I could go to without being a dirty player."

"That further proves you deserve the win, " said Ginny proudly, "It never even occurred to me that I was competing against stiffer competition than normal and that I should have a strategy. Your preparation and execution of your plan were fantastic."

"Thanks, Ginny, " smiled Colin.

As Harry watched this scene unfold, he felt his respect for Ginny rise. He didn't think he'd have handled being on the losing end of such a juicy and high stakes bet in such a gracious and classy manner.

"Ginny, " said Harry proudly, " I want you to know that I admire the way you're handling the situation of being on the losing end here. If I were in your position-

"I knew what I signed up for when I agreed to participate in the bets I made with Colin." said Ginny clearly, "Thanks for the acknowledgement though."

"I've heard the word bets, as in plural, a couple of times now, " observed Dennis, "Colin and Ginny must have also made other bets in addition to the main bet."

"Yes!" confirmed an elated sounding Colin, "We both went all in the Easter egg hunt and we did multiple bets in addition to the one I previously announced. I get to embarrass Ginny a bit today too. "

Next nanosecond, Colin dug a small whipped cream pie out of his right hand pocket and walked straight up to Ginny and threw the whipped cream pie in her face.

Everyone burst into laughter at seeing Ginny have a face full of pie. What of Ginny's face wasn't covered in whipped cream had gone very red and her embarrassment seemed to show. Ginny did feel embarrassed at being pied in the face and having everyone laugh at her. But she was a good sport about it and said, "You got me good, Colin, " as she let a small giggle of her own.

"Giving Ginny a pie face isn't the only way I get to embrace her, "beamed Colin, "As part of our bet, Ginny has to sing a children's song in front of all of us."

Ginny, however, didn't seem the slightest bit embarrassed by this part of things. As everyone else formed a circle around Ginny, she burst into song confidently and sang:

"The Itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Our came the sun and dried up all the rain and the Itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again."

When Ginny had finished singing, Hugh, Tina, Dennis, Colin, Harry, and Hermione all burst into applause. Ginny's singing voice turned out to be so good that they couldn't help but to admire it. Ginny didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed about singing in front of the others and when she'd finished, she actually felt proud of herself.

"You have a great voice Ginny, " complimented Colin, "it turns out that I didn't embarrass you by winning that part of the bet. Instead, I showcased you. If Hogwarts ever starts a choir, I'll recommend you for it."

"So, will I, " added Harry, " Listening to you sing was a treat."

"Thanks a lot, Colin and Harry, " said Ginny cheerfully, "it's nice to know my talent is appreciated."

"There was one last part of the bet between and myself, " said Colin, "Last summer, on our twelfth birthdays, both Ginny and I were on vacation with our families. Ginny was in Egypt and I was in Aruba. It turns out both of our birthdays are on August 11th. We both really wanted a birthday party at our house for our thirteen birthdays on August 11th. As our birthday is on the same date, we couldn't both have that. So, this bet was that the winner would get to have a thirteenth birthday party at his or her own house on August 11th. Since I won the bet, I get to have a thirteen birthday party here on August 11th."

For the first time since learning she was the loser, Ginny's head slumped a bit. Eventually it lowered into her hands. When it came back up, Ginny's face clearly had tears streaming down it.

"This hurts, " admitted Ginny, "I've enjoyed my stay here and this isn't a bad place. But it does sting my heart to know that, not only do I not get a birthday party, but I'll spending my birthday at someone else's birthday celebration with there being no acknowledgement of it being my birthday."

As the rate of Ginny's tears increased. Harry said thoughtfully, "I sympathize with Ginny here, but Colin would've been in the same boat if he had lost. The circumstance of Colin and Ginny sharing a birthday meant only one of them could have this thirteen birthday party. A bet was a fair way to solve the issue but no matter what it was inevitable someone was going to be stung."

They gave Ginny a few minutes to compose herself. and then, Tina announced, "We always go on an outing in the afternoon on Easter, there's never any real rhyme or reason to why, but this year we're going to the water park.

Ginny's expression quickly turned to delight.

"YES!" screamed Ginny, jumping up and down, "I LOVE water parks!"

Everyone was really glad that the day's outing was one that Ginny was excited about it. They all felt bad about her missing out on the opportunity to have a thirteenth birthday party even though they all knew it had to happen to someone. Everyone smiled at Ginny's reaction at the prospect of going to the water park.

At the water park, Hugh and Tina most stuck to swimming. But Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione and Ginny had a good old time splashing each other, having water balloon fights, going on the water slide, and playing in the slip n slide. Everyone had their favorites. Colin and Dennis loved the water slide, Hermione and Ginny loved the slip n slide, and Harry couldn't get enough water balloon fights. But they all really enjoyed the whole outing.

At dinnertime, Hugh, Tina, Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, and Ginny all gathered themselves in the dining room at a long black table with several brown chairs to sit down in.

Hugh explained, "Tina always makes a big feast at dinner on Easter with a big juicy ham being the heart of the meal. This year, Tina has also provided mashed potatoes, carrots, stuffing, and Heineken."

Truth be told, the ham was so good that no one noticed much else. They all polished off their plates, but they were so taken in by how delicious the ham was that everything else was just secondary.

"Hugh, Tina, " said Harry happily, "This ham is the best Easter food I've ever tasted and amongst the best food I've ever tasted period.

"My mom is a great cook herself and she always makes great Easter hams when I'm home for Easter, " said Ginny matter of factly, "But Tina's cooking is right up there with mom's"

"I always enjoyed Molly's cooking when I stayed at the Burrow, " acknowledged Harry, "But I do think Tina's cooking is just as good. Not better. But just as good.

"Easter has always been amongst my favorite holidays because of the yummy ham dinners mom always makes, " said Dennis warmly.

"I couldn't agree more, baby bro, " smiled Colin, "Tina could teach a cooking class if she wanted to."

As she did every year, Tina made enough for everyone to have third helpings. Easter was a day Hugh and Tina didn't mind the kids splurging a bit and they both immensely enjoyed Easter dinner themselves.

The morning after Easter, just before Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny were to return to Hogwarts, Ginny looked Hugh and Tina straight in the eye and said, "Hugh, Tina, I really wanted to take this moment to thank you for allowing Harry, Hermione, and me to stay over for Easter. It was really jolly decent of you to have us over."

Harry and Hermione both nodded in agreement.

"It was our pleasure dears, " said Tina warmly, "As a mom, it was nice being able to meet some of my son's friends, including his bestie."

"And I feel the same way as a dad, " agreed Hugh brightly.


	22. Changes at Hogwarts

When Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny returned to Hogwarts, they found themselves smack dab in the middle of the Gryffindor common room.

The first thing they noticed was that Seamus and Dean were laughing their heads off at Ron, who seemed to have an ugly haircut.

As Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny got closer, they saw the sides of Ron's hair had been cut in an ugly awkward way and that most of the hair on the top of his head had been cut off. There was just enough hair left on the top on Ron's head for some words to be carved into, into this bit of hair were carved the words Twins 1. Ron 0.

"Ohhhh, " remembered Harry, "Before we left Hogwarts for the Easter holidays, Fred and George warned Ron that they would prank him if he continued to pester them."

"I'm guessing, " said Ginny smugly, "That Ron did worse than just pester Fred and George for them to do something like this."

"Right you are, sis, " beamed Fred as he and George came to join the fray, "It happened just a couple of days after you lot left Hogwarts for the Creeveys house when-"

"We caught Ron trying to steal from us, " finished George with a smirk.

"How stupid can you be?" mused Ginny, "Ron knows perfectly well that both of you have bewitched your trunks so that an alarm will sound if someone attempts to steal from them."

"Let me guess, " said Harry confidently, "You two heard the alarms go off, immediately suspected Ron, and ran straight off to catch him."

"Mind works the right way Harry, " said Fred brightly, "Ron trying to steal from us was the final straw. "

"So, "grinned George, "We decoded to punish him with a prank."

"And we wanted our prank to be one that it clear to Ron that we have the upper hand on him, " added Fred with satisfaction.

"Speaking of upper hands, " asked George, "Who won the Creeveys 1994 Easter Egg Hunt?"

"I did!" piped up Colin proudly, "Which meant that I also won several bets with Ginny, the biggie being that Ginny has to go Hogsmeade naked on our first visit in October."

"You two are never going let me live that down, are you?" Ginny asked Fred and George.

"Of course not!" said Fred eagerly, "I can't wait October when we can go full blast ribbing, razing, and teasing you about that!"

"Yeah, " smiled George, "Hopefully Harry and Colin give you just as much ribbing, razing, and teasing."

"They will, " confirmed Ginny, "They've already said as such. That's all part of the deal when you're involved in a bet like that."

"To her credit, " said Harry proudly, "Ginny was a really good sport about being on the losing end of it all, Ginny is a great kid with a huge heart and class act to boot."

"I can take going to Hogsmeade naked and the embarrassment that comes from it, " said Ginny matter of factly, "Other people having fun at my expense isn't a bad thing. But I will admit that losing the birthday bet hurts like hell."

"Colin and Ginny both have birthdays on August 11th, " explained Hermione to Fred and George, "So, since they obviously can't both have thirteenth birthday parties, they made a bet that the winner of their Easter egg hunt would have a thirteenth birthday party at his or her house on August 11th. Colin won. Ginny was actually in tears about that yesterday when she first realized she had lost the chance to have a thirteenth birthday party."

"It genuinely hurts that I have to spend my thirteenth birthday at another person's thirteenth birthday celebration with no acknowledgement of it being my own thirteenth birthday. But, like Harry said yesterday, it was inevitable that either I or Colin would be in that boat. Colin won fair and square and I don't begrudge him that. I just wish Colin and I had different birthdays so that we could both have birthday parties, " said Ginny painfully.

"I sympathize with Ginny's plight in this case, " said Colin uncomfortably, "I myself wish we had different birthdays so that we could both have thirteenth birthday parties. I wonder if we could borrow a time turner from the Ministry for that one day so that we could do that day over. That would be the one way that Ginny and I could both have thirteenth birthday parties,"

"I doubt the use of a time turner would be granted for something that trivial, " admitted Ginny.

There were a few minutes and a few nanoseconds of uncomfortable silence.

At 8 A.M. Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

To their surprise, when Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny entered the Great Hall for breakfast, they saw that the house tables were gone.

Instead, there a number of round white tables that could each sit seven people.

"Sit wherever you and with whoever you want!" called Professor Lupin happily from the staff table as the students streamed into the Great Hall.

Fred and George took a table with their friends Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Leanne.

Parvati and Padma made sure to sit at the same table, where they joined by Parvati's bestie Lavender Brown, these three were soon joined by Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who didn't care who else they sat with as long they were sitting with each other. This table was eventually filled out by Neville Longbottom and Oliver Wood, neither of whom cared who they sat with as long as they had a seat,

Ernie McMillan and his bestie Hannah Abbott soon chose a table to sit at where they were joined by their fellow Hufflepuffs Justin Finch Flecthly, Cedric Diggory, Megan Jones, Sally Anne Perks, and Heidi Macavoy.

Predictably, Harry, Colin, Hermione, and Ginny were joined at their table by Luna Lovegood. But that still meant there were two open spots at it.

Susan Bones of Hufflepuff came over and asked in a bit of a timid voice, "May I sit here?"

"But of course, " said Harry with smile and Susan took a seat.

Ron, meanwhile, found himself sitting alone because no one wanted to sit with him.

After their breakfast of sausage biscuits, hash browns, and Budweiser, Professor Lupin got to his feet and said, "My first announcement is that the new tables we used for breakfast today are permanent. The house tables are a thing of the past. From now on, we are using these tables for seven. And all students may sit with whoever at all meals with no regard to house affiliation. So, students who have friends in other houses can eat with them and I'm sure siblings in separate houses will appreciate this."

"WE DO!" yelled out Parvati and Padma in chorus. Having been extremely close siblings growing up, one of the things that Parvati and Padma most hated about being in different houses was not being able to eat any meals together at Hogwarts. The Patil twins knew and appreciated that this change would allow them to rebond with each other."

"Well, " said Luna in her usual dreamy voice, "I've been bending the rules a bit anyway. Now I don't have to worry about it. The house system is pretty divisive if you think about it.'

"Hey, Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna?" asked Susan, "I would like to make a request. May I continue to sit with your group at mealtimes. While I can honestly say that everyone in Hufflepuff except for Zacharias Smith has always treated me with kindness and respect, I don't have any close friends and nor am I part of a circle of friends. Things just never broke that way for me. I've always been happy at Hogwarts and people have also been nice to me. But I would to take this opportunity to become part of a group of friends."

"I would like that very much, " said Harry brightly, "One thing I like about Luna is having a Ravenclaw be part of my circle of friends. I would love for a Hufflepuff to be part of my circle of friends too."

"Well said, Harry, " said Hermione approvingly, "Susan, we would love to have you be part of our group."

"That would leave our group with six, " smiled Colin, "So my brother Dennis could become the seventh member of our group next year."

"The more the house barriers get smashed, the better, " said Luna.

"I'm hoping this change will create more interhouse friendships over time, " said Ginny warmly, "For now, the opportunity to make a new friend is one I welcome with all my heart, welcome to our group Susan."

"Yeah, welcome, Susan, " said Colin happily, "I do wonder what led Professor Lupin to this decision."

"Well, " smiled Lupin from the staff table, "My main motivation for making this change was for the siblings. That said, if it does spur more interhouse friendships, then that will further prove it was the right thing to do. I hope the groups of people sitting together at meals becomes more mixed across the houses over time."

At their table, Parvati and Padma began chanting "Thank you Lupin! Thank you, Lupin," It was really sinking on them what this change meant.

"Miss Lovegood is absolutely right about the houses being divisive, " said Lupin clearly, "It is against my own inclination to allow the house system to continue at all. However, the house system does provide for good organization of living arrangements and class schedules and each of the individual houses is steeped in tradition and history. But, to reduce interhouse tension between students, effective immediately, the House Cup is being eliminated. From now on, competition between the houses will be limited to the Quidditch pitch."

"That's bullshit, " said Ron with disgust, "The House Cup is one the most important things at Hogwarts. It allows Gryffindor to show we are the best house and that we are superior to those slimy snakes."

"No, " said Ginny wisely, "The house cup only created unnecessary tension between the houses just so that one of them could have one night of glory at the end of the year. "

"Besides, " said Harry hotly, "The are bad witches and wizards in every house. The man who betrayed my mom and dad was a Gryffindor. Lupin's right. The house system is good for arranging certain things but there's really no good that came out the House Cup."

"The better the relationships between the houses, the better off we all are overall, " said Hermione with conviction.

Truthfully, most students either supported the elimination of the House Cup or were indifferent to it. It was only a small of students that were truly into it.

"Next, " called Lupin, "The dementors have been removed from Hogwarts. Dumbledore once said that "I'm afraid that no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster. I am here to tell you that no dementor will cross any part of the threshold of any part of this school while I am headmaster."

Harry and Ginny both let huge sighs of relief at hearing this news. Harry was relieved that he would not have to relive his parents dying moments anymore and Ginny was relieved that the dementors would not be able to force her to relive her ordeal with the Chamber of Secrets anymore.

"As was revealed to the Wizarding World over the Easter holidays, Sirius Black is innocent. Either way, dementors have NO place in a school full of children and teenagers, " continued Lupin, "What dementors are on the surface is bad enough: foul and vicious creatures that force people to relive their worst memories. Some of you have true horrors in your pasts that the dementors can feed on. What's even worse is that if a dementor lowers its hood and kisses you, it will suck out your soul."

Everyone shuddered at this.

"But, " said Harry in a freaked out kind of voice, "If dementors have the ability to suck out people's souls, doesn't that make them even more dangerous than witches and wizards such as Bellatrix, Grindewald, and Voldemort?"

"in a word, yes, " said Lupin bitterly, "Losing your soul is a fate than death. What also makes dementors extremely dangerous is that they will NEVER distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who stands in their way. I debated whether to tell you about the dementors kiss because of how truly terrible it is. But you all have the right to know about the danger you were in. Fudge has been beyond careless in using and aligning with the dementors and even Dumbledore, who opposed their use, grossly underestimated how bad they really are."

There was pure silence for two minutes.

Nothing more was said on the topic. Everyone was relived the dementors were gone but nobody wanted to talk about them, so they waited silently to see what major announcement Lupin would put out next.

"Now, " resumed Lupin, "There are a couple of changes to curriculum starting in September. First, Divination is being dropped altogether. Seers are incredibly rare and the ability to be a seer cannot be taught or developed. Either you have the gift, or you don't. Moreover, Divination isn't a valuable skill in any career path. Any student in third or fourth year currently taking Divination may either leave that period blank next year or take a different elective next year if they do some catch up work over the summer and pass a test to get into the new elective. Those interested in taking a different elective next year should contact their heads of house prior to the end of the school year."

Harry smiled at Hermione as he remembered her promise to help him catch up over the summer so he could take ancient runes next year.

Lavender Brown frowned at this announcement. Divination had become her favorite subject and she admired Professor Trelawney.

"Also, " announced Lupin, " Starting in September, Care of Magical Creatures will become a required course for first through fifth years with astronomy moving into the elective pool."

"Care of Magical Creatures absolutely should be a required course, " said Susan firmly. " After all, hadn't you better know not to insult a hippogriff? hadn't you better recognize a lethifold if you see one? hadn't you better understand why fwooper song must be enjoyed in moderation?"

"Exactly, " beamed Lupin, "Knowing what magical creatures are and what they can do is a very important part of witches and wizards store of knowledge."

"Finally, " said Lupin, "Hogwarts is undergoing a major shift in scheduling next year. Starting in September, we will be using a four day school week. The idea behind this change is that students can use Fridays to do their homework and study thus freeing up weekends to truly be weekends. Each class will be on either a Monday and Wednesday schedule or a Tuesday and Thursday schedule. To ensure that actually use these class free Fridays for homework and studying rather than just playing doodle jump, mandatory library time will be instituted on Fridays. All students will be required to take three hours of library time from 9 A.M. to noon and an additional optional hour would be offered after lunch."

"That's a very good idea, " said Harry approvingly, "Sometimes you need to get away from school and academics and live a little. Having Friday specifically for studying and homework will allow weekends to truly be weekends."

"This will lead to fresher students and less burnout, " said Cedric Diggory wisely.

"Would study groups be allowed?" asked Hermione hopefully.

"Absolutely not, " said Lupin at once, "ALL students will be required to do their own homework and studying. Study groups don't promote learning. What inevitably happens in study groups is that one dominant person does all the work while the others benefit in grades but not in actual learning. Doing one's own work ensures actually learning the material. Good grades mean nothing if you're not learning anything."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, " said Harry approvingly, "Everyone doing his or her homework by himself or herself is the best way to maximize student learning. This forces students to actually do their work and learn the material instead relying on others to get them through without really learning anything. Study time should be study time and not social time as well. If there are currently any study groups at Hogwarts and there any free riders in those groups, time for them to face reality next year."

"That's all for now, " said Lupin, "But bear in mind that I reserve the right as headmaster to implement more changes at Hogwarts if and as I see fit."


	23. The Quidditch Final

The Quidditch Final was held on Saturday, April 9th, 1994 at 11 A.M. Hogwarts time.

It was a beautiful 77 degree day and the sky was blue and cloudless and most of Hogwarts had turned out to watch the match.

Notably absent was Ron, who was serving his detention in the Room of Requirement.

Colin, Ginny, and Hermione had found three great seats together in the very top row of the stadium and all of them were wearing wide smiles across their faces.

Colin, Ginny, and Hermione weren't talking, but they could feel their confidence radiating from each other. They were eagerly anticipating what they expected to be a very major triumph for Harry. They knew Gryffindor had to win by more than one hundred and fifty points to win. But somehow, someway, they felt sure Harry would be able to make that happen. They knew Harry would be aware enough not to catch the snitch too soon, clever enough to keep Higgs away from the snitch during that early time, and skilled enough to catch it when he needed to.

The game got off to a very fast start.

The nanosecond the quaffle was released, it zoomed straight into the hands of Katie Bell.

Katie, who was hyped up to play in such a big match, shot the quaffle from mid pitch and it went straight through the rightmost hoop on the north side of the pitch as Slytherin keeper Miles Bletchley had drifted completely towards the leftmost hoop.

"Katie Bell scores!" announced Lee Jordan with gusto. Gryffindor takes an early 10-0 lead."

Colin, Ginny and Hermione exchanged quick high fives after Katie scored.

The game continued and Lee called "Warrington with possession of the quaffle. Warrington passes to Montague. Montague tries to pass to Flint, but it's intercepted by Spinnet. Spinnet zooming to north end faster than a cheetah chasing its prey. Bletchley drifting right. Spinnet nearing the hoops. Spinnet shoots for the leftmost hoop. Alicia Spinnet scores! 20-0 in favor of Gryffindor!"

Colin, Ginny, and Hermione now chest bumped each other upon Alicia's goal. So far so good.

"Flint with the quaffle in his right hand. Knocked out of his hand by Johnson. Bletchley has come too far out. Johnson passes Bletchley. Johnson aims the quaffle towards the middle hoop. Angelina Johnson scores! What a start by the Gryffindor chasers. They've scored the first 30 points of the match." described Lee.

Colin, Ginny, and Hermione all messed up each other's hair once Angelina got on the board.

Lee's commentary went on, "Warrington's got the quaffle. Warrington holding on tight. Warrington seems to have lost trust in Montague and Flint after the interception and the fumble. Warrington plodding his way towards the south hoops. Warrington lets it fly. It has a chance. Wood saves it! What a save! It looked like Warrington was going to score and Wood deflected it away with his right hand at the last nanosecond. Quaffle recovered by Bell of Gryffindor. Bell passes it to Johnson. Spinnet and Bell line up on either side of Johnson. Bell, Spinnet, and Johnson moving together towards the north end of the pitch. Johnson still with the quaffle. Johnson flies a few feet higher. Johnson shoots- no it was a fake. Johnson passes to Bell below. Bletchley went for Johnson's fake and hasn't recovered. He's really far to the right. Bell launches the quaffle at the leftmost hoop. Katie Bell scores! Gryffindor is 4 for 4! and is in control 40-0."

Following Katie's second goal, Colin, Ginny, and Hermione all lifted up each other's shirts and rubbed each other's belly buttons a few times.

Lee's play by play went on, "Flint in possession of the quaffle. A bludger is near. Fred Weasley whacks the bludger with his bat. That was brilliant! Weasley hit the bludger not towards Flint himself but at the quaffle instead and Flint dropped it! Spinnet with the recovery. Spinnet flying backwards towards the north hoops. Spinnet absentmindedly tosses up a backward shot. It goes straight through the right hoop. Alicia Spinnet is a PTPer baby! 50-0 Gryffindor!"

Colin smiled. As he had promised Ginny and Hermione he would once Gryffindor got 50 points, Colin pulled a pack of Starburst out of his left hand pocket. As a pack of Starburst contained three lemon, three orange, three strawberry, and three cherry, there was enough for each of them to have one of each. While Colin was a huge fan of anything lemon flavored, in this case he actually agreed with his female friends that the best flavor of Starburst was strawberry. As none of them were huge Cherry fans, they ate the cherry first, then orange, then lemon, and saved strawberry for last.

Meanwhile. back on the pitch, Lee kept up his announcing, "The quaffle is loose. Who's going to get it. Seized by Johnson of Gryffindor. Johnson passes to Spinnet. Spinnet to Bell. Bell back to Johnson. Johnson zeroing in on the north hoops. Duck, Angelina, that's a bludger. Johnson just ducks away in time. George Weasley closes in and smacks the bludger. The bludger drifts towards the south end. It looks like Bletchley is more focused this time. Johnson closes in-

"BOO!" shouted Angelina.

\- "A stunned Bletchley ducks, Angelina with a free path. Angelina throws it underhanded through the middle hoop. There's the lead we need."

At Lee's last words, Colin, Ginny, and Hermione increased their focus on the pitch. They wanted to make sure the didn't miss Harry's big moment.

Lee was speaking with more anticipation now, "Warrington takes a desperation shot from thirty feet out. Wood makes an easy save. Spinnet gains the quaffle, Spinnet is just holding the quaffle. Potter makes a sudden dive. Higgs copies him. Higgs is a beastly copycat. Potter pulls out of the dive at the last nanosecond. Higgs hits the ground hard-

"OH!" cried Harry.

-"Potter has seen the snitch. The snitch is hovering over the middle of the centre circle. Potter urges his Firebolt forward. Potter sticks out his right pinkie. POTTER'S RIGHT PINKIE IS WRAPPED AROUND THE SNITCH! HARRY POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH TO GIVE GRYFFINDOR A 210-0 WIN AND THE QUIDDITCH CUP!"

"YES1" screamed Harry, "YES! YES! YES!"

Fred and George landed next to Harry and gave him shoulder thumps.

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were chanting "We've won the cup! We've won the cup! We've won the cup."

"That's my boy!" piped up Oliver excitedly as he ran up to embrace Harry, "Harry my boy, you've just brought the Quidditch Cup back to Gryffindor and gave me my first cup triumph in my final shot at it."

"It was an awesome catch, " grinned Harry, "But it's not all on me. We did it as a team. Fred and George did some nice beater work. You made some good saves. And what can you say about Angelina, Alicia, and Katie. They scored some truly spectacular goals out there."

Colin, Ginny, and Hermione now ran onto the pitch and each took a turn hugging Harry.

Then, Colin, Ginny, and Hermione teamed up to pick Harry up and run a lap around the pitch with Harry held over their heads as Harry couldn't stop beaming.

After they'd put Harry back down again, Ginny burst into song.

"When you wish upon a star. Makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dream. No request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star as dreamers do. Fate is kind. She brings to those who love, the sweet fulfillment of their secret longing. Like a bolt out of the blue. Fate steps in and sees you through. When you wish upon a star your dreams come true."

Harry smiled at Ginny's beautiful singing. It summed up how Harry was feeling at moment. One of his dreams had come true.

Finally, Professor Lupin came and passed the enormous Quidditch Cup to Oliver Wood, who was overcome with emotion and was sobbing. His team had finally done it.

Wood passed the Quidditch Cup to Harry.

Harry held aloft for a minute and a nanosecond. After passing to Fred and George, who chose to hold it together. Harry reached into his right hand pocket for his wand. As Harry got his wand into ready position, Fred and George passed the cup on and Katie, Angelina, and Alicia got their turns to hold it.

Harry cried out "Expecto Patronum!" and a huge silver stag came gliding out.

Harry just felt his insides fill with joy and warmth. He had done it.


	24. The Dedication

On Saturday, April 16th, 1994, a week after Harry's euphoric triumph in the Quidditch Final, Hogwarts convened in the Quidditch stadium again, this time for a special ceremony.

The students hadn't been told exactly what to expect, only that a special ceremony was taking place on the Quidditch pitch at 10 A.M. Hogwarts time.

Colin, Ginny, and Hermione took the same three seats they had for the Quidditch Final the previous Saturday. But, as the students weren't required to sit by house today, Colin, Ginny, and Hermione were also joined by Luna and Susan.

Harry wasn't there, but Colin, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, and Susan weren't worried about him because he had warned them the night before that he might be late to the ceremony.

Several guests had come to Hogwarts for this ceremony, including Madam Bones and Arthur Weasley.

As 10 A.M. approached. the students saw that headmaster Remus Lupin was making his way to the center circle. Lupin was carrying a large purple megaphone he had borrowed from Professor McGonagall. Also heading out towards the center circle were Sirius Black and Harry Potter.

"Harry?" said Luna dreamily, "Harry Potter is going to be the one honored today?"

"Maybe, " said Hermione, "Or maybe Sirius is the one being honored and maybe Harry is going to help with the presentation."

"That seems more likely, " piped up Ginny.

"Perhaps Lupin is the one being honored and both Sirius and Harry and going to help with the ceremony, " suggested Susan.

""Somehow, someway, I just don't think any of the three are actually being honored, " guessed Colin, "I'm guessing that some kind of dedication to James Potter is taking place and James's son and two besties are here to do it."

The very nanosecond that 10 A.M. hit, Lupin spoke into the megaphone.

"Good morning, Hogwarts, " said Lupin warmly, "Today, we are gathered here to grant a long overdue honor to a great Quidditch player and even greater man, James Potter."

"Told you so!" smirked Colin to Ginny, Hermione, Luna, and Susan.

"James Potter, " said Lupin fondly, "Was the greatest chaser to ever set foot on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. Had he played for the national team; he'd have gone down as the best chaser England ever had."

There was a smattering of polite applause from the crowd.

"However, " said Lupin seriously, "James had bigger fish to fry after his graduation from Hogwarts."

At this, Sirius's face turned tense, knowing what must be coming next.

In the stands, Madam Bones's face tensed as well. She had lost several family members in the war.

"Upon graduation from Hogwarts, " explained Lupin, "James devoted his life to fighting Lord Voldemort. In fighting Lord Voldemort at the height of his powers, James Potter showed the kind of courage and bravery that Godric Gryffindor himself would be proud of."

Lupin paused to allow the crowd to give James some applause for his bravery.

"James escaped Lord Voldemort three times, " continued Lupin after a minute and a nanosecond, "But, sadly, James paid the ultimate price the fourth time he came across Lord Voldemort. Now, as James was a great Quidditch player who loved the game and an even better man who lost his life fighting the worst dark wizard of all time, James deserves to have his legacy preserved forever. Therefore. I have deemed it fitting that from now on, the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts shall be known as the James Potter Quidditch Pitch. And who better to help me dedicate this pitch as the James Potter Quidditch Pitch than his bestie, Sirius Black, and his son, Harry Potter."

There were much louder cheers now, especially from Hermione and Ginny, who knew what having the pitch dedicated to his dad would mean to Harry.

"Sirius, Harry, do the honors, " smiled Lupin.

Sirius raised his wand and did a few movements with it while performing a few nonverbal spells. After he had finished, the words James Potter Quidditch Pitch were burnt into a section of grass inside the center circle.

Harry stepped into the center circle and blew a kiss at the word James.

Harry both smiled and shed a few tears at the same moment.

"Are you okay, pup?" Sirius asked Harry.

"This is so bittersweet, " said Harry honestly, "On one hand, being present for this dedication has filled me with pride in my dad. I'm proud of what a great Quidditch player he was but I'm even prouder of how bravely he fought Voldemort. But, by the same token, this ceremony has in some ways reminded me of what I lost when dad died. What wouldn't I give for dad to have seen me off to Hogwarts at King's Cross station? Or to have had him see me playing Quidditch. Or to have seen my wand choose me in Olivander's. Or to have raced brooms with him. Or even to have spoken with him at all."

Both Remus and Sirius pulled Harry into a tight hug and he cried into their shoulders for a few minutes as he released his emotions.

When Harry had regained his composure, he stood right by the name James and said, "I only hope I can live up to being the man you were."

Sirius was feeling extremely guilty now. Why, oh, why, had he told James and Lily to use the fucking traitor as their secret keeper. James and Lily had wanted Sirius to be their secret keeper. He should have just done so instead of outthinking himself.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Ginny had tears streaking down her cheeks as she was feeling a quite different kind of guilt.

"Ginny, are you okay?" said Colin gently.

"No, " said Ginny sadly, "I feel terrible. You see, when Harry was staying at the Burrow prior to his second and our first year, we went to Gringotts. When I saw the contents of Harry's vault, I thought about how he had it so much better than me. And when I saw Harry come to Hogwarts with firsthand robes and books while I had to wear secondhand robes and use secondhand books, I actually started to see myself as unlucky because I was poor and because of what that meant. I was never jealous of Harry, but I did see him as having it much better than me and myself as unlucky by comparison. I see now how wrong I was. I'm the lucky one. I may have been poor all my life and never had much, but I'm the lucky one because I've had both my parents alive and loving me my whole life. I'm lucky because I've had mom and dad see my off to Hogwarts from King's Cross. I'm lucky because mom and dad actually got to see my wand choose me. I'm lucky to have tasted my own mom's cooking. I could go on, but you get the point. I can't believe I ever thought Harry had it better than me."

"Ginny, " said Hermione seriously, "You've been a very good to Harry and Harry himself would tell you that to your face. Sometimes we all get a bit of a reality check. But you were never a bad friend to Harry. You just didn't have everything in perspective."

Ginny felt a little better after hearing that.

"I lacked some perspective too, in a different way, " acknowledged Colin, "I was a terrible fanboy last year. I won't rehash that. But even as I got over that, I still thought it would be "cool" to be Harry Potter. I was never jealous of Harry's fame and attention like that asshole Ron is, but I always thought it would be "cool" to have that fame. I see know how terrible it is to be Harry Potter."

Down on the pitch, Remus told Harry, "Your mother isn't getting short shift here. We have a separate tribute planned for Lily at a later date."

"Thanks, " said Harry weakly.

"Now, " said Lupin, "Let's have a final round of applause for the great man that James Potter was."

There were several of loud cheering and when this faded Lupin declared the ceremony over.

After the ceremony, Harry went over to greet Colin, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, and Susan and Arthur also came over.

"Hey, everyone, " said Arthur with a smile, "I have some good news. Let me first inform you that Ron Weasley will NOT be staying at the Burrow this summer. Molly and I have decided as parents that Ron will be spending this summer with his great aunt Muriel. "

Ginny smirked.

"Now. " said Arthur cheerfully, "The good news is that I have procured tickets for the Quidditch World Cup Final to be held in England on Friday, August 19th. So, the good news is, you are all invited to go to the Quidditch World Cup with me. I have cleared it with it all your parents and guardians. Should you accept, you would be staying at the Burrow from the morning of August 17th until the morning of September 1st when Hogwarts resumes."

Everyone accepted the invitation immediately.

"Why would we come on August 17th?" asked Harry curiously, "Why not August 19th?"

"Well, " smiled Arthur, "Since Ginny can't have a birthday party on her actual birthday, I thought we'd throw a late birthday party for Ginny at the Burrow on August 17th!"

Ginny's heart leapt

"Seriously, dad?" said Ginny, hardly daring to believe it.

"Of course, Ginny, "said Arthur warmly, "You and Colin were only half right. Having the same birthday means that only one of you can have a birthday party on your actual birthday. But there's no reason you can't have an early or late birthday party. Plenty of people have birthday parties near rather than on their birthdays for various reasons. I chose late because in this way all the guests can just stay for the Quidditch World Cup."

Ginny beamed.

"You know, " said Ginny thoughtfully, "Things often have a way of working themselves out. This actually works out perfectly."

"This is awesome, " said Harry happily, "Within a few weeks in August I get to go to Colin's birthday party, Ginny's late birthday party, and the Quidditch World Cup.. With so much to look forward to in August, I almost wish we could skip over May, June, and July and go straight to August. But I don't. Remember that Madam Bones transferred my guardianship to Sirius. I'm really looking to July and being able to live with Sirius."

Arthur smiled at Harry, "I'm so happy for you that you now have the opportunity to form a proper relationship with your godfather."

"Knowing he was the man mom and dad preferred as my guardian carries a lot of weight with me, " said Harry matter of factly.

About a minute later, Madam Bones came over with some more serious news.

"Peter Pettigrew's sentencing will occur on Monday, " Madam Bones informed Harry.

This quickly got the attention of Harry, as well as Sirius and Remus, who both came to join the fray.

"What are your expectations of the sentencing?" asked Harry as Sirius growled.

"I will send you an owl informing you of the results as soon as Peter has received his sentence, " replied Madam Bones, "I can't actually talk about the sentencing until after it has happened, other than to inform you that the sentencing will occur on Monday."

"The fucking traitor had BETTER pay for what he did to James and Lily, " said Sirius menacingly.


	25. Professor Protect's First Lesson

On Monday, April 18th, 1994, Harry and Hermione ended up being part of Pamela Protect's first ever Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.

After Lupin was promoted to headmaster, Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons were put on hiatus to allow Professor Protect to organize her lesson plans.

Professor Protect's very first lesson on the morning of Monday, April 18th, 1994, just happened to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the third year Gryffindors.

"Good morning class, " said Professor Protect cheerfully as Harry and Hermione took their seats, "My name is Pamela Protect and I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. So, do any of you know what the Imperius Curse is?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"Yes, Miss Granger, " called Professor Protect.

"The Imperius Curse is a curse used by witches and wizards to exert control over each other. However, The Imperius Curse is known as an Unforgivable Curse and the use of it is punishable by life in Azkaban. " answered Hermione.

"Exactly, " beamed Professor Protect, "Now the Imperius Curse can be fought and I will be teaching you how in time. Today, I'm just going to putting the Imperius Curse on each of you in turn so that you learn how it feels and so I can see if any of you have any natural talent at resisting it. "

"You're going to put an illegal curse ON us?" said Ron indigently, "Some teacher you are."

"Professor Lupin has given me permission to do so because you need to learn what it feels like, " said Professor Protect in a no nonsense voice, "By being introduced to it in a controlled setting, you may be better prepared to face it if you ever come across its use against you."

"The whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to learn to defend and protect yourself, " said Harry fiercely, "You can't learn that without hands on experience."

"Exactly, Mr. Potter, " said Professor Protect approvingly.

Then, without warning, Professor Protect pointed her wand straight at Parvati Patil and cried, "Imperio!"

Parvati felt her mind being wiped blank and was transformed into a state of total bliss when she heard Professor Protect's voice say "Run into the wall. Run into the wall."

Parvati ran straight at the wall and ran into it and the resultant crash brought Parvati back to her senses.

"Man, I had no idea the Imperius was THAT powerful, " said Parvati in a stunned voice.

"That's exactly why we are having this lesson, " said Professor Protect matter of factly, "So that you can learn exactly how powerful the Imperius Curse really is and what it can do."

Next nanosecond Professor Protect pointed her wand at Lavender Brown and cast the "Imperio" spell on her.

Lavender now felt that euphoric nothingness and soon heard Professor Protect's voice, "Jump onto the desk. Jump onto the desk."

Lavender leaped for the desk but missed landing on it and banged her knees on it instead. The pain in Lavender's knees brought her back to reality.

"Parvati was right, " said Lavender shakily, "This curse is SO strong."

Seamus Finnigan was next to be Imperiused and quickly heard Professor Protect's voice, "Sing the Bear Went Over the Mountain. Sing the Bear Went Over the Mountain."

Seamus began to sing, "The Bear Went Over the Mountain. The Bear Went Over the Mountain. The Bear Went Over the Mountain to see what he could see."

Seamus was a terrible singer and the results were comedic as most as the class was literally laughing at how bad Seamus's singing actually was.

Seamus remained unaware of his surroundings and kept on with his comedic bad singing until Professor Protect removed the curse.

Realizing now what had just happened, Seamus moaned, "Was my singing really THAT bad?

"Yes, " chorused, everyone with smirks.

Professor Protect next placed the Imperius Curse on Dean Thomas and was saying, "Throw your bag in the garbage. Throw your bag in the garbage."

Dean immediately tossed his school into the nearest garbage can without thinking about it.

When Professor Protect removed the curse, Dean retrieved his school bag out of the garbage and said, "That episode showed how subtle and cunning the use of the Imperius Curse can actually be."

"That's right, " confirmed Professor Protect, "I'm trying to introduce you all to as many aspects of the Imperius Curse as I possibly can."

Before long, it was Neville's turn and his ears caught, "Draw on yourself. Draw on yourself."

Neville took his quill and starting drawing all over his body, continuing to do so with increasing giggles from his classmates.

When Professor Protect removed the curse, Neville took one look at himself and hung his head.

Professor Protect patiently performed a Cleaning Charm on Neville, who asked, "Is it likely that anyone would use the Imperius Curse just to embarrass someone?'

"it's use in reality is almost always much more sinister, but it's good to learn EVERY aspect of things, " replied Professor Protect.

Professor Protect went to put the curse on Ron, but saw he wasn't there. Ron had walked out of the class when Professor Protect had announced what this lesson would entail.

So, Professor Protect aimed her next Imperius Curse at Hermione instead, "Do somersaults across the room. Do somersaults across the room."

Hermione did one somersault, but the hard landing returned her to herself rather quickly.

"The Imperius Curse seems most dangerous if you get hit with it suddenly, " said Hermione wisely.

However, Professor Protect was already placing the curse of the very last student, Harry.

Harry felt the happy blankness as Professor Protect said, "Punch Hermione Granger on the back. Punch Hermione Granger on the back."

"No, " said a voice in Harry's head, "Hermione's my bestie, why should I hurt her."

"Punch Hermione Granger on the back. Punch Hermione Granger on the back, " Professor Protect repeated.

"Stupid idea, really, " thought Harry, "Hermione is my BFF."

"Punch Hermione Granger on the back. NOW!" yelled Professor Protect.

"NO, I WON'T!" shouted Harry, who suddenly felt himself again, "That's my bestie, my BFF, I would never hurt my BFF."

"Look at that, " said Professor Protect proudly, "Mr. Potter fought it off. Mr. Potter can fight it off naturally. I will be teaching the rest of you how in time. For today, what I wanted you all to get out this lesson is how powerful the Imperius Curse can actually be."

Between Parvati's, Lavender's, and Hermione's pain and Seamus's Dean's, and Neville's embarrassment, no one was arguing this point.


	26. Lunchtime Letter

Later that day at lunch, as Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Susan, and Luna were enjoying a lunch of hamburgers with mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, onions, pickles, and lettuce with a side of fries and Jack Daniels to wash it down with, a barn owl dropped a letter on Harry's plate.

"It must be Peter's sentence, " said Harry aloud.

Harry unfurled the letter and read.

"Dear Mr. Potter:

Peter Pettigrew had his sentencing hearing before the Wizengamot this morning. While this proved somewhat divisive, Peter Pettigrew was ultimately given the Death Penalty and sent through the Death Veil. The witches and wizards of the Wizengamot formed the majority opinion that Pettigrew could not be allowed to live, as it was clear he was both an escape threat and a serious threat to help Voldemort rise again. Some witches and wizards on the Wizengamot, such as Madam Augusta Longbottom, suggested life in Azkaban due to their own moral opposition to the Death Penalty. Others, such Mr. Patrick Patil and his wife Madam Patricia Patil, argued that if we kept Pettigrew alive, we would likely pay the price for it down the road and come to regret it. The sentencing options were put to a vote. While a small handful of the witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, including Madam Longbottom, voted for life in Azkaban, the overwhelming majority of the witches and wizards on the Wizengamot agreed with the Patils that Pettigrew was too dangerous to be kept alive. Sirius Black, who was allowed in the courtroom as a visitor, requested that Pettigrew be given the Dementor's Kiss. However, almost all of the witches and wizards on the Wizengamot found this idea too morally repressible. So, the Death Veil it was. -

Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Amelia Bones."

"Pettigrew deserved the Death Veil, " said Harry fiercely, "But I am glad they laid off the Dementor's Kiss."

Colin let out a sigh.

"I'm morally opposed to any form of the Death Penalty, " said Colin clearly, "As to me the Death Penalty is murder. But it's hard to argue against its necessity in this particular case."

"If there was even a one one trillionth of a one percent chance he would go back to Voldemort or help Voldemort rise again, " said Hermione in a crisp decisive voice, "Then this was the only solution. Sometimes, you have to throw morals out the window and do what absolutely must be done. Though I personally support the use of the Death Veil from a moral standpoint in this case because what Pettigrew did was SO terrible."

"YES!" agreed Harry instantly, "Some crimes deserve very extreme punishments."

"This is certainly one of those cases, " added Ginny.

"Auntie always said the people who have to make these decisions have to do so completely unemotionally and look just at the facts at hand, " piped up Susan.

There were a few minutes and a few nanoseconds of silence as everyone processed the news in his or her own way. It was Ginny who finally broke the silence.

"How did Peter Pettigrew get into Gryffindor anyway?" asked Ginny curiously, "Sirius Black and Severus Snape would be a million times more likely to kiss lip to lip in front of the Great Hall at Hogwarts then Peter Pettigrew would be to ever show any kind of courage or bravery."

"The sorting hat can make mistakes, " said Susan calmly, "I mean, Hermione should clearly be in Ravenclaw as clever as she is."

Hermione beamed at Susan and admitted, "The Sorting Hat did consider me for Ravenclaw but decided on Gryffindor in the end."

"And then you have people like Harry who are suited to all four houses, " said Luna dreamily, "Maybe the Sorting Hat was infested with nargles during Pettigrew's sorting. Or maybe there were wrackspurts in the hall at the time that affected the hat's brain on that day."

"But this is why we need to stop judging people by their houses, " said Harry firmly.

"Even now, " said Luna observantly, "There are bad people of various levels in all four houses. Ron the asshole in Gryffindor, Zacharias the prat in Hufflepuff, Marietta Miss Untrustworthy Edgecombe in Ravenclaw. So no, all bad people are not in Slytherin."

"So how did Professor Protect's first lesson go?" Ginny asked Harry.

"It was interesting to say the least. Professor Protect put the Imperius Curse on all of us to teach us how strong it is and what it feels like, " replied Harry.

"And Harry was the only one who resisted it!" said Hermione proudly.

Ginny, Susan, and Luna all looked at Harry in awe, though, Colin, who didn't know what the Imperius Curse was, didn't.

"I think the lesson was a success, " continued Hermione, "A no nonsense approach covering serious and important topics."

"OHH!" remembered Ginny suddenly, "Colin, you and I are in Professor Brew's Potions class first thing after lunch!"


	27. Professor Brew's Potions Class

After lunch, Colin and Ginny made their way down to the dungeons for their first potions lesson with their new teacher, Professor Brian Brew.

As Colin and Ginny entered the dungeons, the first thing they noticed was that the longer and wider desks had been replaced by many desks for one.

"It looks like Professor Brew has the same idea as Professor Lupin our own work, " observed Colin.

"Yes, " said Ginny approvingly, "If we are to hone and master the craft of potion making, we must each produce our own potions without the assistance of others."

"Well said, Miss Weasley, " beamed Professor Brew as he entered the room and took his place at the teacher's desk, ''By making education individualized, I as a professor can see exactly where each of my students stands and how much progress he or she has made."

Professor Brew next waved his wand and a set of instructions appeared on the board.

"Today, " said Professor Brew excitedly, "We are going to brewing a new potion that, after a long testing period, was just approved for marketing and sale this morning. The potion is simply called Liveliness Potion. This is a potion that will give energy to lethargic people. I suspect a lot of witches and wizards who aren't morning people will be using this potion. The instructions are on the board. You have thirty minutes. No talking during these thirty minutes. Good look and do your own!"

The first line of the instructions read: USE ONLY PEWTER CAULDRONS WHEN MAKING LIVELINESS POTION! In testing the Liveliness Potion was only attainable when brewed in pewter cauldrons. Attempts to brew this concoction in other types of cauldrons resulted in nothing but liquid mess.

As Hogwarts students' cauldrons were required to be pewter, this was a non-issue. While most potions could be brewed in any cauldron without making much difference to the final result, potions that did need to be brewed in a specific cauldron most commonly needed to be brewed in a pewter cauldron, hence pewter cauldrons being the standard cauldron for Hogwarts students.

The second line said to fill the cauldron three fifths full of water and put it on heat until the temperature reached 350 degrees with a warning that BE CAREFUL TO TURN OFF THE HEAT BEFORE ADDING THE NEXT INGREDIENTS! EXPLOSION CAN OCCUR IF MORE INGREDIENTS ARE ADDED WITH THE HEAT RUNNIING!

The third line read: Add one ounce of dragon liver, two tablespoons of juice of the firefly, and one cup of crushed sunflower seeds.

The fourth line read: Let mixture sit for ten minutes and then wave wand over cauldron clockwise three times to stir mixture.

The fifth line read: To finish, add two dried billywig stings and wave wand over cauldron clockwise three times to give final stir.

Colin, Ginny, and the rest followed the instructions on the board as best they could. When there thirty minutes were up, Colin's potion was the bright yellow color of the sun whereas Ginny's potion was bright orange. Most of the other students' potions were anywhere in brightness from Santa Claus red to Minnesota Vikings purple.

"Now, " said Professor Brew the nanosecond their thirty minutes were up, "If you have the followed the instructions correctly, you should have a sun yellow potion."

"Excellent!" beamed Colin, "I did it!"

"Look here, Mr. Creevey's done it, " said Professor Brew brightly, "How splendid."

Looking at Ginny's potion, Professor Brew said, "Miss Weasley, yours would have been just as good, but you forgot to add the sunflower seed."

"Damn!" said Ginny fretfully, "One mistake kills a potion!"

"Potions is a fiddly subject, " admitted Professor Brew, "But you were still better than anyone besides Mr. Creevey."

"Hold your head up, Ginny, " said Colin encouragingly, "This was both our first class with our new professor and our first attempt at brewing this concoction. You should be proud of how good your potion was. Some of our peer's potions are purple!"

"Well said, Mr. Creevey, " said Professor Brew encouragingly, "Miss Weasley, I think you can be an O student in my class. You have the skill. You just made one lapse in concentration. Instead of fretting over that mistake, learn from it."

"Don't worry about your potion useless, Ginny, " said Colin-

"How did you know that's what was bothering me?' Ginny asked Colin.

"For a minute I was looking you eye to eye, " explained Colin, "When that happened, I could sense your feelings and emotions and I can hear you saying to yourself, one damn mistake made my potion useless."

"Even your potion can't be used, Mr. Creevey, " said Professor sadly, "Only potions made by a licensed potion maker are allowed to be sold or used. Classes are for learning and the potions made by students are required by law to be disposed of."

"But that's so wasteful, " said Ginny with a cold edge voice to her voice, "Why should Colin's work be wasted because he's only twelve or isn't a professional maker. if his potion really is perfect, it ought to be used rather than wasted.

"It's hard to argue against that, " admitted Professor Brew, "I'll speak with my contacts at the Ministry and see if they could amend the law. The whole point of that law is to prevent witches and wizards from taking improperly made potions. But if a student can make a proper potion, it really should be used rather than wasted."

"I'll put an anti-theft charm on my potion and keep it in my trunk until a final decision can be reached, " suggested Colin.

"That's a good idea, Mr. Creevey, " agreed Professor Brew.


	28. A Meeting with Sirius

A week later, on the night of Monday, April 25, 1994, Harry received an owl from Headmaster Lupin requesting that he come up to the headmaster's office.

When Harry arrived in Lupin's office, he was greeted by Lupin himself and by Sirius.

Harry, Sirius, and Lupin all took seats and Lupin said, "Harry, Sirius wishes to meet with you so I told him to come up to the school and told him he could meet you in my office tonight."

"Okay, " said Harry in understanding, "What's up, Sirius?"

"Before we get down to why originally wanted to meet with you, I should take this opportunity to inform you that I received an owl this afternoon from Madam Bones about Vernon's and Petunia's sentencing. She knew I was coming here tonight, so she asked me to pass the information along to you, " said Sirius matter of factly.

"Did they get the thirty years in Azkaban that Madam Bones recommended?" asked Harry.

"No, " said Sirius with both a smirk and a menacing tone to his voice, "The Wizengamot sentenced them both to life in Azkaban. The Wizengamot wanted to make absolutely sure that they never had any more contact with children ever again."

"Good, " said Harry coldly, "Vernon and Petunia got what they coming to them. If they die in Azkaban because they can't handle the dementors then so be it. Some people deserve NO tears shed for them and NO emotion felt for them. Vernon and Petunia clearly are such people, the asshole and the bitch!"

"That's right, " agreed Sirius at once, "Sometimes bad people need to get their comeuppance."

"Yes, " said Harry approvingly, "But why did you want to meet with me tonight in the first place?"

"To discuss plans for summer, " said Sirius in a businesslike voice, "I know you have a lot to look forward to in August, so I thought we'd get the things done we need to get done in July."

"So, do you have a house then?" inquired Harry.

"Yes, " said Sirius happily, "When I was released from Azkaban, I discovered that I owned my deceased parents' house. However, as I didn't have a good relationship with my parents and had a holistically unhappy childhood, I sold that house and used the money I got from it to buy a new one."

"Good for you, Sirius, " said Harry brightly, "I would never want to go back to Privet Drive as an adult, so I totally got not wanting to go back to the house of your unhappy childhood."

" So, are you ready to hear my plans for you?" Sirius asked Harry.

"Yes, Sirius, " said Harry simply.

"First, " said Sirius clearly, "I want you to get an eye exam. When was the last time you had an eye exam?"

"It's been too long for me to remember, " answered Harry honestly.

"That's all I need to hear, " said Sirius firmly, "I don't know if you can lose your glasses. But even if you DO still need glasses, you need to get a more current prescription. I also want you to see a dentist. "

"Let me guess, " interjected Harry, "You want me to see a healer too?"

"Yes, " confirmed Sirius, "After what I've learned about your life with those fucking Dursleys, I strongly suspect that you have many medical needs."

"So, " smiled Harry, "This sounds like Operation Bring Harry's Physical Well Being Up to Snuff Before the 1994-1995 School Year Starts on September 1st."

Sirius mimicked a bell ringing and said, "Smart kid you are, Harry."

Sirius then added, "I'm going to send a house elf to pick up some new regular clothes for you before July 1st so that when you come home, you'll have good clothes waiting for you."

"Thanks, Sirius, " said Harry gratefully, "I'm glad not to have to mess with the shopping myself."

"Now, " grinned Sirius, "As it will be our first summer together as godfather and godson, I want it to be just the two of us in the house for the first month."

"Are you the Secret Keeper for your new house?" Harry asked Sirius.

"Yes, " confirmed Sirius, "In addition to ourselves, Remus Lupin has permission to enter the house. Under different circumstances, I'd offer to allow him to live with us for a while. But because he is now headmaster, he is required to live at Hogwarts year round."

"That makes sense, " nodded Harry, "Does anyone else have permission to access the house?"

"Yes, " said Sirius a nanosecond later, "I have granted Hermione Granger access to the house."

"OHH!" remembered Harry, "Hermione promised to help me catch up on ancient runes this summer!"

"Exactly, " said Sirius briskly, "Hermione will be staying with us from August 1st through August 10th. This will be the period when Hermione brings you up to speed on ancient runes. You will then be spending August 11th through August 16th at the Creeveys and at the Burrow from August 17th through August 31st. I may stop in to visit a couple of times, but I promise to see you off at King's Cross on September 1st."

"And you'll be picking me up there July 1st?" said Harry radiantly.

"Exactly!" smiled Sirius, "Now, apart from Hermione, which of your other friends would you want to invite to a big birthday party for you. I'm planning a big birthday party for you on July 31st, but it won't be like Colin's or Ginny's late one. Those will be more standard birthday party fare from what I know about them. I don't want to spoil the surprise of what it will entail. I will tell you that it will not be at the house. So, other than Hermione, who else would you like to invite?"

"Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Oliver Wood, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Susan Bones, " replied Harry.

"So, " said Sirius, "Your friends, a few of their siblings, and your Quidditch teammates."

"Yes, " said Harry cheerfully.

"May I suggest an addition?" asked Sirius.

"But of course, " replied Harry warmly.

"Lee Jordan, " suggested Sirius, "Your Quidditch commentator and Fred's and George's best friend apart from each other."

"That's fine, " approved Harry.

"Finally, " said Sirius clearly, "I'm going to be testing some of your magical skills over the summer. If any of them are subpar, I will train with you to bring them up to expected grade level for your age."

"What about doing underage magic outside of Hogwarts?" piped up Harry.

"My house is warded against the detection of underage magic, " Sirius ensured Harry.

"Is that it then?" Harry asked Sirius.

"For now," answered Sirius, "You may go back to your common room now but have a treat."

And Sirius dug his right hand into his right pocket, pulled out a Snickers bar, and handed it to Harry, who beamed.


	29. Lily's Legacy

On Sunday, May 8th, 1994, Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan took their favorite seats in the Great Hall for breakfast. No food had appeared on the plates and Headmaster Lupin had gotten to his feet, clearly ready to make a speech. Sirius Black also happened to be standing next to him.

The nanosecond Lupin saw every student had come down for breakfast, he began his announcement.

"As you all know, " announced Lupin, "About a month ago, the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts was dedicated as the James Potter Quidditch Pitch. On that day, towards the end of that ceremony, Sirius and I made a promise to Harry. The time has come for us to fulfill that promise."

Everyone sat quietly and patiently, though some people had a good idea of what was coming.

"Today is Mother's Day, " continued Lupin, "Lily Potter nee Evans was not just James's wife and Harry's mother, but she was also a very good and very LOYAL friend to both Sirius and me. In fact, there were times when Lily was there for me when no one was. She was a singularly gifted witch and an uncommonly kind woman. Like James, Lily escaped Voldemort three times. Like James, she wasn't so lucky the fourth time. Before Sirius and I reveal what our tribute to Lily is going to entail, I would like to offer Harry Potter the opportunity to come up and personally tell you all the story of Lily's Legacy."

Harry slowly and emotionally rose from his seat and moved his way to the staff table. Taking Lupin's place in the center of the table, Harry spoke with conviction.

"What many of you don't know, " Harry explained to the Great Hall at large, "Is that Voldemort offered my mom the opportunity to have her life spared if only she would step aside and allow him to murder me. But she refused to step aside and despite Voldemort giving her three chances, mom never gave in. My mom gave her life so that I could live mine."

Most of the students, especially the girls, felt their eyes watering. They couldn't imagine how heavy this topic must be for Harry.

"There's something else as well, " said Harry slowly, "Mom didn't just save me when she sacrificed herself, she saved the entire Potter line."

There were gasps of comprehension heard around the hall as what Harry just said sank in on them.

"If mom had lived and I died, the Potter line would have died out, " explained Harry, "Remember that Voldemort had already killed dad at this point. So, if Lily had lived and I had died, even if she would've remarried and had more sons and daughters, their father would not have been from the Potter line. I am the last Potter. Mom's sacrifice saved the Potter line. Hopefully, I will one day have sons and daughters of my own to keep the Potter line going as it is one of the most ancient in Wizarding Britain. If I am ever fortunate enough to have sons and daughters of my own, I'm telling you all right now that my son will be named James and my first daughter will be named Lily."

There was a round of applause at that. Somehow, someway. it just felt right that if Harry were to have children, his parents should have the honor of having those children named after them.

Harry now put his hand over his heart and looked skyward, "To mom in heaven, I love you, thank you for everything you did, and happy Mother's Day."

Harry started to break down and had fast tears strolling down his cheeks. He had kept his composure throughout his speech but with that now over the emotion came pouring out of Harry like a waterfall.

Harry sat back down with Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan, all of whom were respectful enough to keep quiet as Harry cried and let his emotions pour out.

Remus retook his place at the center of staff table and said, "To carry on the legacy of Lily Potter nee Evans and to honor her, this hall shall henceforth be known as Lily Potter Hall. Sirius, would you do the honors?"

Sirius made a series of movements with his wand towards the top of the front of the hall. When he was done, the words Lily Potter Hall appeared in large white letters towards the top of the front of the Great Hall.

The students applauded as the words Lily Potter Hall were revealed. Harry's speech had unlocked for them all just how pronounced and profound Lily's sacrifice really was. If anyone deserved such a big tribute as having the Great Hall named after him or her, it was Lily Potter nee Evans.

As had been the case with James's dedication, Lily's tribute evoked mixed feelings in Harry. The sadness of what he had lost was just as pronounced, but so was the pride in knowing what his parents had done.

The sadness that his mom hadn't been there when he had said his first words, gotten his wand, and found platform nine and three quarters for the first time was there and was just as pronounced a feeling of loss as he felt about his dad.

But he the pride in equal measure as well. He couldn't be prouder to be Lily's son, knowing how brave and unselfish she had been. Harry also felt pride in his mom's kindness when he heard quotes about Lily being there for being when no one else was. The failing kindness Lupin referred was a trait Harry greatly valued himself."

A few minutes later, Lupin said, "Lily's favorite meal was pancakes, sausage patties, and Corona Extra. From her first day at Hogwarts to her last, Lily took second helpings at any meal in which pancakes, sausage patties, or Corona Extra was served. If all three were served at the same meal, that was bliss to Lily. Therefore, I think it only fitting that today's breakfast on a Mother's Day in which we pay tribute to the mother who laid down her life for her son shall be her favorite meal of pancakes, sausage patties, and Corona Extra."

Lupin put his hands in the air, clapped once, and everyone in the Great Hall suddenly found himself piled up with pancakes, sausage patties, and Corona Extra.

As Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan munched on their pancakes and sausage patties and sipped their Corona Extras, they did so quietly and reflectively at first. It felt like a nod of respect to eat and drink quietly.

After a few minutes, this aspect of things ran its course and Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan became themselves again, happily enjoying their meal together and chatting.

At one point, Hermione asked Harry, "What do you think of Lily be granted this honor of having the Great Hall renamed Lily Potter Hall?"

"It's the ultimate honor for a person who made the ultimate sacrifice, " said Harry meaningfully.


	30. The Leaving Feast

On the night of the Leaving Feast, Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan all noticed that Oliver Wood, who was sitting at the table next to them, was in tears.

Harry waved Oliver over to their table and motioned for him to sit with them.

When Oliver was seated, Harry asked, "Oliver what's wrong?"

"I'm just sad, " said Oliver heavily, "Tonight is my last night at Hogwarts. After that Hogwarts Express pulls out of Hogsmeade Station tomorrow, I will never set foot in Hogwarts ever again. While becoming a Hogwarts graduate is certainly something to be proud of, it stings my heart to know that, after tonight, I'll never sleep in the four poster bed I've slept in for the past seven years ever again, I'll never eat another meal in the Lily Potter Hall, I'll never save another quaffle on the James Potter Quidditch Pitch, and I'll never see the Gryffindor common room. It's hard to leave that all behind."

"Did the feeling kind of just hit you when you came in here tonight that tonight is your last ever at Hogwarts?" asked Harry gently.

"Yes," confirmed Oliver, "I honestly hadn't thought about it too much before now. When I came to the Lily Potter Hall tonight for the Leaving Feast, it suddenly sank in on me that, this year, the words Leaving Feast mean forever and not just for the summer."

"I know how you feel, Oliver, " said Colin in understanding, "I felt the same way on my last day of fifth grade. I did not yet know at that time that I would be coming to Hogwarts because I am an August baby. Now, Hogwarts years correspond with middle school and high school in the muggle world. In the muggle world, kindergarten through fifth grade is Elementary School, sixth grade through eighth grade is middle school, and ninth through twelfth grade is high school. So even though I didn't know I would be coming to Hogwarts, I did know it would be my last day at the elementary school I attended for six years and I felt those same emotions. "

"I suppose we all will have to deal with such emotions at some point, " said Harry matter of factly, "Moving on isn't always easy."

"Not moving on isn't easy, " said Oliver sadly, "But, Colin, having been in this position yourself, what advice would you give me on how to deal with it?"

"The strong feeling of sadness and loss will stick with for a few days and that's okay, " said Colin wisely, "But know this, when I came to Hogwarts, my first day at Hogwarts was just as happy as my last day of elementary school was sad. Nothing is forever, but that doesn't mean the next phase of your life can't be just as good."

"What do you plan to do next?" inquired Hermione.

"I'm going to play Beater for Puddlemore United next Quidditch season, " said Oliver confidently.

"You've already signed with them then?" piped up Ginny.

"No, but I know I'm going to make the team because I'm that good, " said Oliver instantly.

"Well, " said Colin, "On the day of your first practice, your first match, you will be just as happy then as you are sad now. Sure, it hurts when parts of life pass you by. But the great thing about life is that there's always another opportunity."

"You may be right about that, " said Oliver fairly, "But I still can't help feeling a little empty thinking about leaving Hogwarts behind. In fact, all the memories of all my time at Hogwarts are replaying themselves in my mind and I keep looking at things and places at Hogwarts tonight and thinking about how I'll never see them again. It's hard, it really is."

Oliver felt a few more tears roll down his cheeks as Harry and Colin patted him on the back a little.

"It's a necessary sadness, " said Luna quietly, "If you didn't graduate from school, you could never go to achieve anything in life, be it as a healer, a potion maker, a Quidditch player or whatever."

"I understand that, " admitted Oliver, "But the end of Hogwarts being a part of life seems to have so quickly."

"Bill and Charlie had the same feeling of it having all gone by too fast when they graduated, " revealed Ginny.

"It's natural human emotion, " said Oliver matter of factly, "I'm not ashamed of it, but I can't hide it either."

"Understandable, " said Susan reasonably.

"The emotions of the night are a lot stronger than I would have guessed, " said Oliver finally, "Moving on isn't easy."

Next nanosecond, Lupin was on his feet at the staff table and said, "I have a few quick announcements."

Every student in the hall focused his or her eyes on Lupin.

"First, owing to their exemplary performances since joining the staff around Easter, Potions Master Professor Brew and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Protect have been retained for next school year."

There was some polite applause in response to this.

"If Professors Brew and Protect continue to exhibit stellar job performance next school, I will offer them long term contracts, " added Lupin.

"That's smart, " said Hermione approvingly, "Professors Brew and Protect have earned the right to keep their jobs but they still have more to prove before they can be committed to on a long term basis."

"I fully expect them to be receiving those long term contracts next year, " said Harry briskly, "They seemed to be very highly qualified teachers."

"No question about that, " agreed Hermione, "But Lupin is right to take it slowly. "

"Be warned, " Lupin went on, "That I am considering some changes for Hogwarts for next school year that you may learn about in your annual Hogwarts letter. You already know about most of the big changes coming to Hogwarts next year, but a few more changes are still under consideration. Your letters will explain what these changes are should they be implemented. So be prepared for that. But's that's all for now, now, let's have a pizza party for our leaving feast."

Next nanosecond, everyone in the Lily found himself or herself piled with two thick slices of pepperoni and sausage pizza, two breadsticks, two meaty chicken wings, and a large glass of Budweiser.

What happened next proved Lupin had been right to eliminate the House Cup.

Without the tension of the House Cup, the Leaving Feast was one of the calmest and happiest meals they'd ever had at a leaving feast.

Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan happily munched on their pizza, breadsticks and chicken wings and sipped on their Budweisers while chatting away as friends at a meal like this should,

Even Oliver, who was still sitting with them, managed to forget his emotions for a bit and happily ate, drank and talked with the rest.

In the past, students whose house had not won the House Cup had tended to be bummed out at the Leaving Feast and there had been tension between students of difference houses because of the House Cup.

As Lupin watched the students just eating, drinking, and chatting with their friends, it confirmed to him he had been right to discontinue the House Cup.


	31. Stunning News

Later that night, Harry sent an owl to Sirius that read:

Dear Sirius-

I know how important it is to you to become my guardian and how much it means to you to have me become your ward. As such I'd like to propose that you come and pick me up tomorrow morning at Hogsmeade station by side along apparition. This would allow me to bypass the Hogwarts Express and allow us to spend my first day without school together instead of you picking me up at King's Cross late in the day.

-Harry.

The next morning, Harry awoke to Sirius reply, which read:

Dear Harry-

Nice try pup, Seriously, it's clear to me that you have fully embraced the idea of us becoming guardian and ward and I can't begin to tell you how much that means to me. However, Wizarding law requires all students to use the Hogwarts Express as their method of transport to and from Hogwarts. This law dates back several centuries and had its roots in concerns over large numbers of witches and wizards traveling at the same time or over a very short time span attracting muggle attention. The Hogwarts Express was intentionally created as a thoroughly non magical means of transport for the students to get back and forth from Hogwarts so that they could all come and leave on the same days without attracting muggle notice. And to be honest, I'd have declined this offer even without the law. We will have plenty time together over the next month and in all likelihood today will be the last time you see your friends until your birthday. So, find a nice compartment on the train to share with Colin, Ginny, Hermione, Susan, and Luna and enjoy your last day together for a while. Look forward to meeting you at King's Cross.

-Sirius.

So, as the Hogwarts Express departed Hogsmeade Station, Harry, Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Susan, and Luna shared the very back compartment.

Most of the day was just spend with the friends just happily chatting about whatever subject might come up.

But, late in the afternoon, they received some stunning news.

A furled up newspaper flew into their compartment and landed smack dab in the middle of Harry's lap.

Harry held up the paper to show Colin, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan the stunning headline:

**SEVERUS SNAPE DEAD. FORMER DEATH EATER KILLED WHILE TRYING TO HELP DUMBLEDORE ESCAPE MINISTRY HOLDING CELL.**

The Ministry holding cells are warded against disapparation, " Susan reminded them, "Anyone attempting to escape from them will be killed in the process. That's part of the magic of the anti disapparation wards."

"Then why didn't Dumbledore die too?" inquired Ginny.

"Because, " said Harry, who was now reading the article, "He wasn't trying to take Dumbledore by side along apparition at the time of his death although that was his original plan. He went to the Ministry intending to break Dumbledore out, when he got into the holding cell, he attempted to convince Dumbledore to allow him to break him using side along apparition. However, Dumbledore knew about the anti disapparation wards and Snape did not. Dumbledore refused to go, saying that the attempted escape would be too dangerous and that the thought doing so made him fear for his life. After Snape then called Dumbledore a coward, Dumbledore told Snape of the wards, but it appears that Snape believed Dumbledore was lying about the wards even though he had told Snape the truth about them. Snape then gave up for the day but intended to return in a few days to make another attempt at convincing Dumbledore to escape. When Snape himself tried to disapparate from the cell, he died instantly."

"Wow, " said Colin breathlessly, "If Dumbledore really knows about the wards and truly fears them and does not believe he can overcome them, he may truly be out of the way for good."

"I'm actually surprised Snape didn't know about the wards, " admitted Hermione.

"Snape has always had a rash and careless side to him, " said Luna bluntly, "It would be just like Snape to rush into something like that without fully thinking it through."

"You are so right about that, Luna, " agreed Harry at once, "Somehow, someway, it isn't surprising that Severus Snape met a sticky end."

"He got what he had coming to him, " said Ginny ruthlessly, "Mean and cruel all his life."

"And a former Death Eater to boot, " added Harry, "By all accounts he is no loss!"

"Shouldn't we be sad that a human being has died?" asked Colin.

"Some people don't deserve any tears shed for them or any emotion felt for them and Snape is very high on such a list, " said Harry coldly.

"We don't have to celebrate his death, " said Hermione to Colin, " But Harry is right about Snape not deserving any emotion felt for him."

"This story feels more shocking than sad, " observed Luna.

After the shock of this news had worn off, it was time for the Hogwarts Express to pull into King's Cross.

As Harry departed the train, he found Sirius waiting for him and godfather and godson pulled each into a tight hug.


	32. Moving in with Sirius

Sirius picked Harry up on Platform Nine and Three Quarters and took him to their new home via side along apparition.

They landed smack dab in the middle of a hallway and Sirius said quickly, "Pup, just to warn you right up front before you see the house, I have bought us a house without windows."

"OH!" realized Harry a nanosecond later, "You've bought us a windowless house because I will need to practice magic at home during the summer and we can't afford to attract muggle attention."

"Actually," smiled Sirius, "We are in an all wizarding village. My concern is not muggles, but the Ministry. Madam Bones might be willing to give you permission to practice magic at home this summer despite being underage owing to your circumstances. But Fudge will do his nut if finds out ANY underage magic has been performed for any reason. But the spells the Ministry uses to detect underage magic enter houses and buildings by penetrating windows. If a house or building is free of windows, the Ministry cannot underage magic there."

"That makes sense, " said Harry matter of factly, "Are there any major house rules here?"

"My number one rule for you whilst I am your guardian is that under NO circumstances are you to have sex. Sex is a sin, and if I find out whist, I am your guardian that you have had sex, it will mean multiple rounds of the hardest corporal punishment I can dish out, " said Sirius in a polite but clear voice.

"You said we live in an all wizarding village. Do we now live in Hogsmeade?" asked Harry.

"No, " said Sirius calmly, "We actually now live in Godric's Hollow."

"Do you mean?" asked Harry breathlessly, "The village that my parents lived in?"

"Yes, Harry, " said Sirius seriously, "The Potters had actually lived in Godric's Hollow for hundreds of years before James and Lily died. I want to give you the opportunity to continue that legacy."

A sudden though struck Harry.

"I know my parents' house was destroyed, " said Harry matter of factly, "But is it possible that this house was rebuilt on that same land?"

"No, " said Sirius quietly, "The house your parents lived in has been intentionally left in its ruined state as a memorial to James and Lily. You will learn more about that later this month. I also plan to take you to see your parents graves later this month. Seeing these things will be hard and emotional for you, but I believe you need to see them."

Harry sat quietly for a minute and a nanosecond before moving on to ask, "If I'm going to being practicing magic this summer, then you're going to be giving me some instruction, right?"

"Yes, " said Sirius at once, "And be warned that, while I don't believe in yelling, I will be more critical than complementary. If you get something 99% right, I will focus on the 1% you got wrong until you can get it 100% right."

"That's absolutely necessary, " agreed Harry, "Because how will you learn otherwise. I disapprove of yelling as well, but we also need to get away from the culture of patting people on the back all the time. We need to learn that truth is more important than tact, that facts are more important than feelings, and that straight forwardness is more important than sensitivity."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, " said Sirius approvingly as he felt relieved to hear that Harry was completely open to taking criticism.

After a short pause, Sirius said, "Harry, I promised you would have new clothes waiting for you when you got home and I'm a man of my word. Follow me."

Harry followed Sirius to a room with a nameplate on top with Harry engraved into it.

The door was open, so Harry and Sirius wandered into it.

Towards the south end of the room was Harry's bed, which was adorned with scarlet bedsheets and pillowcase. On top of the bed sat a heap of new clothing.

There were tee shirts of various colors: red, green, yellow, blue, orange, purple, scarlet, hot pink. and white. There were also piles of shorts, jeans, and pajamas as well as a few pairs of brand new socks, shoes, and slippers.

"Wow, " said Harry as he looked through the clothes on his bed, "They all look really nice."

"I sent my family of house elves out to buy them. I own not one house elf here, but a family of four. Their names are Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde and you will be meeting them soon. You can try out your new pajamas and slippers tonight and tomorrow you can try out a new tee shirt. I recommend you wear shorts tomorrow. On an unrelated note, we're getting right into things tomorrow morning. I have scheduled a 10 A.M. eye exam for you tomorrow morning."

"Getting to business right away, " said Harry.

"Yes, " said Sirius, "Staring tomorrow. But for now, I'm hungry and I'm sure you are too. I had the house elves made a big spicy chicken dinner for us."

Sirius led Harry to the dining room where there was a black table with several brown chairs around it. At two of the places sat plates piled with three large boneless spicy white meat chicken along with sides of mashed potatoes, corn, and rice. Two glasses of Michelob were set beside the plates.

"Dig in, Harry." said Sirius.

And Harry and Sirius eagerly ate their chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and rice and sipped their Michelobs as they enjoyed each other's company without even needing to talk much.

Godfather and godson had been truly reunited and a Potter had come home to Godric's Hollow. That's what mattered.


	33. Harry's Eye Exam

The next morning, Sirius took Harry by side along apparition to Emily's Eye Emporium.

"Harry, " said Sirius seriously, "Emily's Eye Emporium is owned by a wealthy witch named Emily Eye, who is also one of the eye doctors who practices here. Emily Eye was a Slytherin in my year at Hogwarts and I scheduled your eye exam today to be with her."

"So!", said Harry indignantly, "You're entrusting my eye care to a SLYTHERIN!"

"Harry, " said Sirius calmly, "Not all Slytherins are bad. Some of them are actually very decent. While the reputation of Slytherin house is that of bullies and Dark Wizards, remember that one of the true distinguishing characteristics of Slytherin house is ambition. Dr. Eye was inspired as a child by her last name to grow up to be a practicing eye doctor and she always had a natural fierce desire to be a successful businesswoman, which led her into the ownership of an eye care practice."

"You really think I can trust her?" Harry asked Sirius skeptically.

"She performed my most recent eye exam a couple of weeks ago. She is a very nice lady and she did a fantastic job working with me. There are two reasons I intentionally scheduled your eye exam with her. The first is because she took such good care of me. The second is to show you that there are good people from all the houses to help you move past the old stereotypes."

Next nanosecond, an average sized average heighted woman with light brown hair, brown eyes, and a deep tan came forth and called, "Harry Potter."

"Harry, follow her and do what she says, " instructed Sirius.

Harry followed the woman back to an exam room and the woman said kindly, "Hello, Mr. Potter, my name is Dr. Emily Eye and I saw your godfather a few weeks ago. He says you are in desperate need of an eye exam to determine if you still need glasses. And if you do, you certainly do need a more current prescription, so let's go to it."

"Okay, " said Harry simply.

"The first thing I want to test is your color vision, " said Dr. Eye.

Dr. Eye pointed to a rectangular shape that was hanging on the wall. Inside this rectangular shape were colored circles and inside these colored circles were colored numbers.

"I'm going to point to each circle one at a time and when I do, you tell me the number inside the circle, " Dr. Eye instructed Harry.

As Dr. Eye pointed to the circles, Harry correctly identified the number in each of them.

"Very well, Mr. Potter, " said Dr. Eye pleasantly, "You color vision is perfect. Now come over to this chair-

She pointed at a black chair towards the far end of the room.

Once Harry had sat down in the chair, which was under a table which had some special lenses on it and a screen in the background, Dr. Eye said, "I'm going to test your field of vision next. I'm going to test each of your eyes in turn. I'm going to give you a clicker and run a program on the screen designed to test your field of vision. When you see a pattern moving across the screen, hit your clicker. '

Dr. Eye handed Harry the clicker and placed her special lenses so that Harry could only see out of his left eye.

"We'll test your left eye first, " said Dr. Eye matter of factly, "Begin."

Dr. Eye ran the program to test Harry's field of vision, switching the lenses so that Harry could only see out of his right eye after his left eye test was done. After she had finished testing Harry's field of vision in both eyes, Dr. Eye looked sadly at Harry.

"Mr. Potter, " said Dr. Eye seriously, "Your field of vision has more limited range than it should in both eyes. You can pick up things that are in front of you, but your periphery vision is weak. While glasses may well still help you in terms of allowing you to see things from farther away, we'll see about that in a few minutes, I don't believe anything can be done about your periphery vision. I'm going to perform a few spells on your eyes to confirm or deny my diagnosis.

Harry said nothing.

Dr. Eye pulled her wand out of her right hand pocket and ran a few nonverbal spells on both of Harry's eyes. To Harry's surprise, Dr. Eye smiled when her spells were complete.

"Yes!" cried Dr. Eye in a happy and relieved voice, "Mr. Potter, my initial diagnosis was that your cursed scar was blocking part of your field of vision. That was incorrect. Furthermore, the truth that my spells have told me have informed me that not only can you be given a full field of vision, but you can also see 20-20 without glasses. Your vision problems, both the nearsightedness and the limited visual field, are the result of magical blocks that have been placed upon you."

"You can remove magical blocks?" Harry asked Dr. Eye.

"I'm allowed to do it with regard to a patient's vision, " explained Dr. Eye, "A small handful of witches and wizards are licensed to holistically apply or remove any kind of magical blocks. My authority to do so is limited only to circumstances that affect my patients' vision. It is illegal to place magical blocks on the vision of a minor. In light of his recent arrest, and as he awaits trial, I strongly suspect this is Dumbledore's work."

"I'm sure it is, " said Harry in a cold voice, "It fits right in with his schemes to manipulate and control my life. But you looked really sad when you had to come to your initial diagnosis."

"There is nothing more heartbreaking for a doctor than having to tell a patient that the patient can't be helped. You have to accept dealing with that sometimes when you're in the medical profession. But it hurts, " said Dr. Eye, looking uncomfortable.

Throughout the process, Harry couldn't help but notice the sincerity in Dr. Eye's voice and the genuineness in her eyes. Sirius seemed to right about her.

"Mr. Potter, " said Dr. Eye warningly, "The procedure to remove the magical blocks on your eyes will not take much of your time. I just have to perform a few more nonverbal spells to remove them. But it will be VERY painful. Please wait here while I go retrieve your guardian."

About a minute and a nanosecond later, Dr. Eye returned with Sirius.

"Mr. Potter, " said Dr. Eye in a businesslike voice, I have brought Mr. Black to sit in with you to help comfort you in the post procedure aftermath. He agrees that the blocks need to be removed and he had a few choice words about Dumbledore."

"Fuck Dumbledore!" snarled Harry.

"That's exactly what Mr. Black said, " revealed Dr. Eye, "But I should warn you beforehand, when I perform the nonverbal spells to remove the blocks on your vision, you will feel more pain than the Cruiatus Curse, being shot, being stabbed, and kidney stones combined multiplied by a hundred."

Harry said nothing.

"Mr. Black, " Dr. Eye addressed Sirius, "Don't be alarmed if Mr. Potter screams and yells during this process. In addition to the pain, the process will also force Mr. Potter to see horrible images in his head. The procedure will take two minutes, one minute to remove the block on Mr. Potter's field of vision, and another minute to remove the block on his visual strength."

"Understood, " said Sirius solemnly and Dr. Eye got to work.

And for the next two minutes Harry experienced pain such as he could never have even imagined existed. And yes, some truly horrible images did flash in his head, including visions of his own dead body and of total darkness and the like. But, to both Sirius's and Dr. Eye's shock, Harry never screamed or yelled once. In fact, he never even gave any indication that he had noticed the pain.

When the two minute procedure was complete, Harry looked around and was genuinely shocked at how well he could see.

"WOW!" exclaimed Harry happily, "I can see farther and better than I ever have before. It worked just like you said. Dr. Eye, thank you for your work that has lifted the magical blocks on my vision and allowed me to see the way I should be."

"You didn't even react to the pain at all, " said Dr. Eye in amazement.

"I'm a tough cookie, I can handle pain, " said Harry proudly, "Besides, it's well worth two minutes of pain for a lifetime of better vision."

"I'm really glad it worked out for you Mr. Potter, " smiled Dr. Eye, "But we need to complete your eye exam. I want to redo the field vision test and then I need to test your vision with the usual letter charts and stuff.'

Dr. Eye redid Harry's field vision test and he scored a 100% on it and the actual eye exam with the letter charts and so forth indicated that in fact Harry now had 20-20 vision and no longer needed glasses. Dr. Eye finished the exam by probing Harry's eyes to search eye diseases and didn't find any. Harry was therefore dismissed.

"How does it feel now?" Sirius asked Harry as they got up to leave.

"It's just so nice to actually be able to see properly, " said Harry happily, "Dumbledore will his comeuppance soon."

"So, what do you think of Dr. Eye?" Sirius asked Harry as he used side along apparition to take Harry home.

"She really was decent, " said a surprised Harry to Sirius when they returned home.

"What did I tell you?" smiled Sirius, "And I have a surprise for you."


	34. Making A Friend and Losing an Enemy

Next nanosecond, a girl flooed in.

The girl had black hair and brown eyes. Harry recognized the girl by sight but had never spoken to her.

"Harry, " said Sirius cheerfully, "I believe that an introduction is in order."

"Hello, Harry, " said the girl politely, "My name is Tracey Davis. I am in your year but in Slytherin."

Had this introduction occurred the previous night, Harry's reaction to meeting Tracey would have been something along the lines of, "Get the hell of here you slimy snake," or something to that effect. His positive experience with Dr. Eye, however, had taught Harry to be more open minded.

Harry offered Tracey a handshake and said, "Nice to meet you, Tracey, but is there any reason why you are here?"

"Yes, " answered Sirius matter of factly, "The long and the short of it is, today is Tracey's fourteenth birthday. Usually Tracey goes out on her birthday with her two besties, Daphne Greengrass and Lily Moon. However, the Greengrass family is on vacation in the Bahamas and the Moon family is on vacation in Australia. One time when I was at Hogwarts these past few months, I spotted Tracey in tears one day. It turned out she was feeling sad about having to spend her birthday lonely. She is happy for Daphne and Lily to have the opportunity to go one those vacations, but she was feeling sad thinking about a lonely birthday. That's where I come in."

"How? asked Harry simply.

"Well, " replied Sirius, "I invited her for the day with her arrival to be timed with our return from your eye exam. We will be going out shortly. I thought it would be nice if Tracey could spend her birthday having fun in the company of a child about her age. Since I also knew that Tracey was a decent person, it had the added benefit of making you aware of the existence of decent Slytherin people."

"You're going all in on that, Sirius, aren't you? First Dr. Eye. Now Tracey. But Dr. Eye was decent. I suppose Tracey is as well."

"You've got to give people a fair chance, Harry, " said Sirius calmly, "So before we leave, Harry, would you please sing Happy Birthday to Tracey."

"If only Ginny were here, " mused Harry, "We know how great her singing is. My singing, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired."

"Sing Happy birthday to Tracey, Harry, " prodded Sirius, "I'm sure you do a great job at it."

So, Harry began to sing.

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday Tracey Davis, happy birthday to you!"

"Thanks, Harry, " said Tracey in appreciation, "That was beautiful."

"It really was, " smiled Sirius, "No, it wasn't as good as Ginny's singing, but that's such an incredibly high standard. I mean, Michael Irvin isn't a great a Wide Receiver as Jerry Rice because no one is, but he's still a great wide receiver in his own right. Just because you can't sing as well as Ginny doesn't mean your singing sucks. I know Tracey appreciated it."

"Just having Happy Birthday sung to me at all meant something, " said Tracey, "It's the thought and the effort that counts."

Sirius raised his wand and cried, "Accio cake!

A large chocolate cake with the words Happy Birthday Tracey displayed in mint green icing on top of white frosting appeared before them as did three extra pieces of cake on the side.

"The big cake is yours to take home at the end of the day, " Sirius told Tracey warmly, "The three slices on the side are for the three of us to enjoy now."

"Thank you, Sirius, " said Tracey gratefully, "It is beautiful, and it looks really yummy!"

So, for a few minutes, Sirius, Harry, and Tracey just took their time to savor the declivous elf made cake as of each of them enjoyed the individual slices that had been set aside. It was the best cake Harry had ever tasted and amongst the best for Sirius and Tracey.

"What now?" asked Harry when the cake slices were gone, "I didn't know about this. I haven't bought Tracey a present-"

"I never been big on birthday presents, " interjected Tracey, "For me, the thing that always made my birthdays special was going out for the day with Daphne and Lily to fun places. After a while I asked people to stop buying me birthday presents because ninety five percent of them ended up stashed or never used. I value and enjoy doing things more than having things or getting things. The experience of going out to fun places with my friends on my birthday always meant more to me than any presents, even those few I ended up liking. Experiences are more meaningful to me than things and even today when my friends are on vacation, going out somewhere really fun for the day will mean more to me than presents would have. Even on a daily basis, the types I value are things like tasty food, beautiful music, hot showers and nice weather."

"Decidedly unmaterialistic, " observed Sirius.

"Smart girl, " said Harry approvingly, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, the world would be a merrier place!"

"Wise words from a wise wizard, " said Tracey approvingly.

Just then, a barn owl turned up, dropped a letter on Harry's lap, and went off again.

Harry unfurled the letter to read.

"Dear Mr. Potter, I must inform you that your Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia have passed away in Azkaban. It appears that both Vernon and Petunia were incapable of coping with the dementors. Vernon went totally mad and was a raging lunatic in the last days of his life. Both Vernon and Petunia had stopped eating. Given your history with them, I know you will not grieve for them. This letter is strictly for informational purposes.

\- Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Amelia Bones."

"I'm not surprised Vernon and Petunia didn't survive Azkaban, " said Harry coldly, "They always seemed a bit on the weak side to me. No, I will not grieve for them because they don't deserve it. Ladies and gentlemen deserve to be mourned. Assholes and bitches do not."

"Love the bluntness, " said Tracey approvingly, "No hiding behind the "It's always a tragedy when a person dies cliché."

"Vernon and Petunia got what they had coming to them, " said Harry ruthlessly.

"Few people have ever been more deserving of such comeuppance, " growled Sirius.

"Well, the asshole and the bitch are by the by now so." said Harry frostily.

"Back to the day at hand, " said Sirius, "We are going to...…."


	35. A Slytherin's Perspective

"Amanda's Animal Adventures!" revealed Tracey happily.

"Let me guess, " grinned Harry, "Amanda's Animal Adventures is a restaurant/adventure park combo that centers around an animal theme?"

"Yep!" confirmed Tracey eagerly, "I love animals and I've never been to Amanda's Animal Adventures."

Next nanosecond, Sirius grabbed Harry and Tracey on either side of him and took them to Amanda's Animal Adventures by side along apparition.

Harry, Sirius, and Tracey came out right by an empty table and took seats as a waitress approached the table. The waitress was an average sized average heighted woman with brunette hair and gray eyes.

"Hello, " said the waitress kindly, "My name is Tiffany and I will be your waitress today."

"My mom wanted to name me Tiffany, " revealed Tracey, "But dad insisted on naming me Tracey, so Tracey I am."

"Tracey is a beautiful name, " said Tiffany kindly, "I happen to know that your two friends here are Harry and Sirius. That said, are you ready to order."

"They'll need some time to look through the menu, " Sirius informed Tiffany, "This is the first time at Amanda's Animal Adventures for both of them."

"Yes, " remembered Tiffany, "You did tell me last time you were here you'd be bringing two first time visitors next time you came. Very well, I'll come back in five minutes."

When Tiffany returned, Harry, Sirius, and Tracey had all made up their minds what to order.

"I want the Crazy Cat Chicken Combo, " ordered Harry, "Three chicken tenders with a side of tater tots sounds delicious. Make my drink Budweiser."

"Spicy or regular chicken?" Tiffany asked Harry.

"Spicy, " answered Harry instantly.

"I'll go with the Lab Leg Lunch, " barked Sirius, "Three chicken legs with a side of potato wedges will be a yummy meal for me. Regular chicken though, I'm too much of a wuss for spicy. I'll have a Miller for my beverage."

"As for me, " piped up Tracey, "I'd like the Horse Hamburger Hoard. A hamburger with a side of curly fries is right up my alley. I'll take Michelob for my drink."

"Very well, " said Tiffany, "And all of our meals come with a side Texas toast. I'll come back when your food is ready."

"Excellent!" chorused, 'Harry, Sirius, and Tracey.

The wait gave Harry and Tracey ample time to chat.

"Tracey?" inquired Harry, "Can you tell me what life in Slytherin house is like for your point of view?"

"I'm glad of an opportunity to tell that story from my side, " said Tracey intently, "First, bear in mind that not all of us were chummy with Draco Malfoy. Many of us, myself, Daphne, and Lily included, despised Draco Malfoy and were both glad and relieved when he was expelled."

"So, " said Harry slowly, "Malfoy was just as big an asshole and a bully to most Slytherins as he was to everyone else at Hogwarts?"

"Yes!" confirmed Tracey in a nanosecond, "He was never nice to anyone. In reality, he wasn't that nice even to Crabbe and Goyle. They were his cronies and bodyguards, but not his friends. He was too mean to actually have friends."

"Crabbe and Goyle always seemed pretty mean themselves?" muttered Harry uncertainly.

"HELL YES!" yelled Tracey, "In some ways, Malfoy's, Crabbe's, and Goyle's meanness rubbed off on each other. Crabbe and Goyle did become more subdued after Malfoy left though. I think they were scared and timid without their master. I heard it through the grapevine that Crabbe and Goyle won't be returning to Hogwarts next year either. But meanness isn't the only reason many Slytherins had disdain for Malfoy. His propensity for meanness actually gave the whole house a bad reputation. if I may ask, if you give it serious thought, how big of a factor was Draco Malfoy in your anti Slytherin biases."

"A huge one," admitted Harry, "But truth be told, my former friend Ron Weasley had just as big a part to play in that."

"I did notice by observation that you and Weasley didn't seem to be so tight at the end of the school year, " acknowledged Tracey, "If I may ask, why is he a former friend and what role did he play in your anti Slytherin biases."

"The original reason I severed ties with Ron Weasley the Jealous Glory Hound is because he was horribly mean to Hermione Granger one night in our common room. Despite having NO right to be angry at or upset with her, Ron shook bedsheets in her face, yelled at her at the top of his lungs in front of the whole common room, and took his own personal problems out on her. People who treat people in that manner aren't my friends, period. But after detaching myself from him, it became clearer to me that he was never really my friend. He is very jealous of my fame and attention and the reason he wanted to be my friend in the first place is because he had hoped my fame and attention would rub off on him. I stayed friends with him and blinded to his true nature for too long because he was my first ever friend. I had no friends before I started at Hogwarts, " said Harry matter of factly, "He told on the Hogwarts Express the day I met him that all dark witches and wizards had come from Slytherin house."

"It sounds like he very prejudiced on his own, " said Tracey, "But our house has struggled against a general bad reputation for years, largely because of Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort. Many people from other houses will say that Slytherin was the house of Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort and that we should never forget that."

"I recently learned that my parents were betrayed to their deaths by a man who graduated from Gryffindor, " said Harry slowly, "House affiliation does not divide people into good people and Death Eaters. Speaking of people, how many other girls do you share your dorm with?'

"Four," answered Tracey, "My BFF Daphne Greengrass, my other BFF Lily Moon, the bitch Millicent Bulstrode, and the bitch Pansy Parkinson."

"Actually, " interjected Sirius, "Starting this fall, zero. The roommate concept is being jettisoned at Hogwarts. Over the summer the several rooms for up to five are being magicaly transfigured into many rooms for one."

"Source?" questioned Harry.

"Headmaster Lupin told me about this, " explained Sirius, "There are multiple reasons for this. First, Remus morally opposes the roommate concept as he believes that everyone, no matter who he or she is, should have the solace of his or own space. By eliminating the roommate concept, now any student who wants some quiet time or alone time can easily go up to his or her dorm room and take it. Secondly, sleeping in a room by oneself leads to much better sleep. Despite the fact my home life sucked when I was a kid, I always slept well at home because I had my bedroom to myself. With the room sharing at Hogwarts, I could never sleep very well because of other people's snoring, breathing etc-"

"Hear, hear, " said Harry matter of factly, "There's no doubt that having one's room to one's self is a necessary condition to sleeping well."

"Exactly, " said Sirius briskly.

"Back on topic, " said Harry, "Tracey, how did Daphne and Lily become your besties?"

"In the case of Daphne, we've known each other since we were babies, " explained Tracey rightly, "My parents and Daphne's parents were close friends at Hogwarts, having been a close quartet in their school days. It naturally followed from that that Daphne met each other super early on in lives. Lily Moon is a much different case. The long and the short of it is that, during the Welcoming Feast, we had noticed Lily in tears. We asked her what was wrong in our common room and she simply said that she missed her parents. This is not unheard of for first years, but it seemed to worse for her. Lily is in fact close with her mom and dad. Daphne and I reached out to Lily and offered to be her friends. After hearing Lily's story, I felt it was important for her to make a couple of good friends right away. The "I'm sad because I miss my parents syndrome" is far worse if one is lonely. Lily gratefully accepted our offer of friendship and we've been a trio at Hogwarts ever since."

"See again, " put in Sirius, "How Tracey is a good person in Slytherin. She befriended the lonely girl who was struggling to adjust and convinced Daphne to do the same. Hey many people in any of the houses would've gone out of their way to do that?"

"Relatively few, " admitted Harry.

"Exactly," said Sirius simply.

"AND IT CAME BACK TO HER!" screamed Harry suddenly, "Just as Tracey befriended the lonely girl her first night at Hogwarts, you reached out to the sad Tracey to give her this opportunity."

"What comes around goes around, " said Sirius firmly.

"I should stress though, " said Tracey, "That I really am happy for Daphne and Lily to have the opportunity to go on those vacations with their families."

"What is your opinion of Severus Snape?" Harry asked Tracey.

"I felt no emotion for his passing, " said Tracey bluntly, "I always disapproved of his bullying and his favoritism towards Malfoy. That said, I just never had much to do with him or much contact with him."

"Here's the biggie," Harry asked Tracey, looking her eye to eye, "What does Slytherin actually mean to you?"

"Generally speaking, the traits associated with a rank and file Slytherin are determination, resolve, and resourcefulness, " explained Tracey, "But the trait Salazar Slytherin most prized was ambition. The cream of the crop Slytherins are the ambitious ones."

"Are you one of those?" Harry asked Tracey.

"The sorting hat told me I am, " answered Tracey uncertainly, "The hat debated between Ravenclaw and Slytherin for me. The hat told me before yelling "SLYTHERIN! that while I was very academic minded on the surface, my truest quality was a deep seeded ambition that would reveal itself in time. I haven't found that yet, but it does say in Hogwarts a History that many students don't discover their true selves until sixth or seventh year."

"I suppose that makes sense, " said Harry.

Next nanosecond, Tiffany had arrived with their food.

It turned out to be one the most fun lunches any of them had ever had.

Harry's Crazy Cat Chicken Combo turned out to feature chicken tenders that came in the shape of domestic shorthair housecats that really mastered the flavor of spicy chicken and tater tots that meowed until they were eaten. To Harry's delight, his Budweiser was the coldest Budweiser he'd ever tasted.

Sirius's Lab Leg Lunch had tasty chicken legs that were shaped as black labs rather than legs, potato wedges that barked until they were eaten, and an a super cold Miller.

Tracey delighted in her Horse Hamburger Hoard, which included a bun and angus beef patty the shape of a horse and curly fries that neighed until eaten along with the most refreshing glass of Michelob she'd ever had.

As delicious as all that was, the Texas toast that came with all the meals was the biggest hit. It was just perfection.

The food was so good that no talking happened during the meal as Harry, Sirius, and Tracey were taken in by their food and savored their meal.

They paid Tiffany, including giving her a very generous tip, before moving on to go to the adventure park.

At the entrance to the adventure park, They were met by a woman of average size and height with medium brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hello, guests, " said the woman kindly, "My name is Amanda Alworth and I'm the owner of Amanda's Animal Adventures."


	36. Scare and Relief

"Hi, Amanda, " said Sirius kindly, "Do you own the restaurant as well?"

"No, " said Amanda matter of Factly, "The restaurant is owned by Amanda Ambrose. I am Amanda Alworth. I permitted Mrs. Ambrose to operate her restaurant adjacent to my adventure park because it provides a convenient way for my customers to get food during their stay. At my place, admission is free for children eighteen and under. I originally planned on free admission for those under eighteen but before opening I decided to include eighteen year olds in my free group so that all high school seniors would be included in the free group. I admit kids into my adventure park for free to keep it affordable for large families. Along those lines, each adult in a group with three or less adults is charged a $5 admission fee.

A/N: Amanda Alworth charges in dollars instead galleons or sickles because she is a muggle. Amanda Ambrose is a witch, hence the spells and charms on some of the food in the previous chapter.

Sirius was surprised to hear the that the admission would be charged in muggle money, but he was smart enough that he always carried some muggle money with him just in case.

Amanda Alworth went on, "In groups with four or more adults, it is a straight up $20 admission fee no matter how many adults are in the group. I want to keep it affordable enough that a full family with two parents and four grandparents can come. "

"You're a wonderful lady, Madam Alworth, " said Sirius respectfully.

"Call me Amanda, " said Amanda cheerfully, "The caveat is that every group must have at least one adult of at least twenty one years of age."

"Translation, " said Sirius bluntly, "My adventure park is for family outings and not a hangout for groups of high school and college friends."

"Exactly, " said Amanda clearly, "As your group consists of one adult with two kids, your admission fee is $5."

"I'm Sirius Black and the kids are my godson Harry Potter and a guest named Tracey Davis whose fourteenth birthday is today."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" realized Amanda in a nanosecond, "This is an outing for Tracey's birthday."

"Yes, " confirmed Sirius as he paid Amanda and led Harry and Tracey on their way.

As they walked to the first attraction, Harry asked Tracey, "Do you have any pets?"

"Yes, a calico cat named Swirl. My dad bought Swirl for me as a tenth birthday present. Mom never wanted me to have pets because she dislikes animals due to the noise they tend to make. But luckily for me, dad overruled her."

"Does Swirl meow a lot?" Harry asked Tracey.

"No, but his meows are pretty loud, " answered Tracey, "A Swirl meow usually means feed me. I love Swirl because he's cute, cuddly, curls up on my lap, and loves being petted. I know you have a snowy owl for a pet, Harry."

"Her name is Hedwig, " explained Harry, "But how did you know-"

"The number of times she's either delivered packages to you or just to come to greet you in the Great Hall during breakfast, "replied Tracey, "I do know who you are even if today is the first time we've talked."

"You know, " said Harry thoughtfully, "Having a conversation with Tracey Davis is no different than having a conversation with Ginny Weasley or Luna Lovegood or Susan Bones. Houses be damned."

"I'm glad to see you've come around, Harry, " said Sirius approvingly.

Next nanosecond, they came upon the first attraction, which was simple horseback riding. There was a stable of horses guests could take out and ride.

Sirius, Harry, and Tracey each mounted a brown horse and took a few laps. But at the end of their third lap, Harry's horse bucked him off and he fell quickly and forcefully to the ground.

Realizing that Harry was now unconscious, Sirius conjured a stretcher while apparating all three of them to St. Mungo's.

A healer told Sirius that Harry would have died if he were a muggle from the force of the fall, but that Harry's magic might have saved him. They would simply have to wait and see if he woke up again. With her parents' permission, Tracey stayed at St. Mungo's as well.

Two days later with Harry still in a coma, Sirius found himself comforting a crying Tracey, who couldn't seem to look at Sirius.

"Keep your head up, Tracey, " commanded Sirius.

"But, if Harry dies, then it's my fault. I was the one who wanted to go to Amanda's Animal Adventures in the first place. If I hadn't chosen Amanda's Animal Adventures for the outing then Harry would never have gotten on that horse and would never have gotten hurt, " said Tracey shakily.

Sirius forced Tracey's head up and forced her eyes to meet his.

"Tracey, it's only natural for you to feel some guilt, but trust me, I know what happened to Harry was not your fault. Things happen. I don't blame you in the slightest, " said Sirius.

Looking at Tracey's eyes, Sirius saw that they were very bloodshot.

"You've been crying a lot, haven't you?" Sirius asked Tracey quietly.

Tracey nodded.

Sirius took out his quill and some parchment and wrote.

"Dear, Mr. and Mrs. Davis:

Tracey has been crying a lot the last few days. I saw her eyes were very bloodshot today. She feels extremely guilty about what happened at the adventure park and blames herself for Harry getting hurt under the premise that Harry would never have gotten hurt if she hadn't wanted to go to Amanda's Animal Adventures. Such feelings of guilt are common in situations like this, especially for someone as caring and compassionate as Tracey. Tracey will not leave St. Mungo's while Harry is still in a coma, but I believe it would comfort her if Swirl could be sent along. if one of you could drop Swirl at St. Mungo's I believe it would greatly comfort Tracey.

Sincerely

\- Sirius,"

Sirius sent the letter off with a St. Mungo's barn owl.

About an hour later, a man who looked very much like an adult Tracey and a woman with golden hair and gray eyes entered the ward. The man was carrying a calico cat.

The man handed the cat to Tracey without saying a word and she immediately started petting it.

"Sirius, " said the man seriously, "I am Tracey's father, Travis Davis."

"I am Travis's wife and Tracey's mother, Terresa Davis, " said the woman shyly.

"Know this, " said Sirius clearly, " I do not blame Tracey for what happened. It could have happened to any of us. I promise that no matter what happens Tracey has my full support. Though I know that if Harry survives a great burden will be lifted from her. Tracey only wanted to go out to Amanda's Animal Adventures for her birthday. She didn't do anything wrong. "

Tracey, meanwhile, was getting calmer and more comfortable as she petted Swirl.

Noticing his daughter start to relax a bit, Travis said, "I'm glad you had us send Swirl. We should've done that without prompting. Swirl has always had a way of making Tracey feel at ease."

"The power of pets, " said Sirius gently.

"Has Tracey slept at all the last few nights?" Terresa asked Sirius.

"She was too guilty and too worried to sleep the first night, " answered Sirius uneasily, "But when it looked, she wouldn't sleep again last night, I gave her some Dreamless Sleep Potion. She's still been pretty upset today, which is why I had you bring Swirl, but at least she got a good night last night."

"Oh, thank you, Sirius, " said a very relived sounding Terresa, "I can't image the state Tracey would been in if she went several days without sleep."

"I'm going to give her the potion again tonight, " promised Sirius, and when the time came, he did.

Next morning, before Tracey had woken, Swirl had crawled up onto Harry's bed and rubbed his face against Harry's.

Incredibly, the nanosecond Swirl's face had touched Harry's, Harry began to stir.

"W- what, " said a dazed and confused Harry, "Where I am, why is there a cat in my bed?"

"HARRY!" screamed Sirius happily in a voice that woke Tracey.

"Has he come round, " asked Tracey in voice filled with cautious hope as she got of bed.

"Yes, he made it, he's awake now. Swirl got into his bed, and, incredibly, when Swirl rubbed his face against Harry's, Harry started to stir." explained Sirius.

"Swirl?" said Harry wildly. And then he looked around and saw Tracey, "This is your cat?"

"Yes, " said Tracey proudly.

When Harry was a little more alert, Sirius filled him in on everything that had happened and introduced him to Travis and Terresa.

"How are you feeling Harry?" asked Sirius seriously.

"Alert, but weak and tired, " answered Harry, "Hey, Tracey, may I have your permission to hold Swirl properly and pet him?"

"But of course, " smiled Tracey.

So, Harry held and petted Swirl. With each passing minute of holding and petting swirl, Harry felt both stronger and livelier and in ten minutes time he said, "I feel like myself again."

"That's wonderful!" chorused Sirius, Travis, Terresa, and Tracey.

"It sounds weird, "But the more I held and petted Swirl, the stronger and livelier I became, " said Harry in amazement.

"Swirl must not be an ordinary cat, there must be something more, " said Tracey mysteriously. "First he revived you, then he gave you your strength back."

"Tracey, look, " said Harry in a businesslike voice, "I understand you feel bad about what happened, but please understand that you bear NO responsibility for my getting hurt. Sometimes things happen where you wish you could go back in time and make different choices. But some things are nobody's fault."

Without prompting, Harry got out of a bed and walked up straight up to Tracey and gave her a hug.

"It's going to be okay, " said Harry reassuringly. "I'd still like to be your friend."

This earned Harry smiles from Sirius, Travis, and Terresa.

"If my godfather and your parents are okay with it, I'd like to make you an offer, " Harry told Tracey.

"Which is?" asked Tracey eagerly.

"I know your birthday had a terrible ending, but if Sirius, Travis, and Terresa are okay with it, I'd like to invite you to my fourteenth birthday party on July 31st."

"Go for it, Harry, " said Sirius encouragingly.

"What do Tracey's mom and dad say?" Harry asked Travis and Terresa.

"We're all for it, " said Travis appreciatively, "It's a great opportunity for her."

"It's good for her to have non Slytherin friends, " said Terresa approvingly.

Harry, Sirius, Travis, Terresa, and Tracey ending up leaving St. Mungo's together and taking a portkey to Godric's Hollow.

Sirius graciously offered to have the Davises stay for dinner.

They ended up eating a delicious dinner of steak, baked potatoes, sweet corn, and Coors.

On this day of relief, they were happy to enjoy such a good dinner.

The Davises went home after dinner, but new seeds of friendship had been sown despite the adversity.


	37. Harry's Dental Discovery

On Monday, July 11th, 1994, at 1:45 P.M. Sirius took Harry to a dental appointment he had set up for Harry with his own dentist, an average sized averaged heighted man with black hair and black eyes named Mark Molar, a graduate of Ravenclaw.

Dr. Molar specialized in dental care for witches and wizards and Sirius had been happy with the dental care he had received from Dr. Molar.

"Hello. Sirius, " greeted Dr. Molar as Sirius and Harry entered the office, "I assume this is your godson, Harry Potter with you for his appointment?"

"Yes, " said Sirius simply.

"Mr. Potter, " said Dr. Molar seriously and uncomfortably, "Based on what Sirius has told me about how long it's been since you been to a dentist combined with what I know about your abusive muggle relatives, I fear the worst here. Magic will be able to help you if my fears are proven correct, but you may have a tough choice to make."

"Then why don't you take a look in my mouth and we'll proceed from there. What's coming is coming and I'll meet when it does, " replied Harry.

"Very strong willed godson you got, Sirius, " said Dr. Molar.

But when he got his tools out and peeked inside Harry's mouth, his smiled turned to a frown in a nanosecond.

"Mr. Potter, " said Dr. Molar solemnly, "Your teeth are in terrible shape. It is a matter of time before they fall out. They are rotting away. Sirius said he is making you brush your teeth every day but it's too late. I don't blame you. Your abusive muggle relatives are at fault for not making you brush your teeth when they knew what the end result of that would be. Your magic can help you here. I'm going to remove all of your teeth. You have two options for how to get new ones. Both involve taking Tooth Growth Potion. But you are in a dilemma. Tooth Growth Potion comes in two types: Gradual and hasty. If you go the gradual route, you take the potion once a day in the morning until the teeth are fully grown. You would need to come back for follow up exams with this plan because only a professional dentist would really be able to tell if the teeth are really fully grown. This plan usually takes a couple of months and you would have to survive on a liquid only diet until the teeth are fully grown. If you choose the hasty option, I will give the potion just once and the teeth would be fully grown in just under a day. However, the hasty option is EXTREMEMLY painful. Sirius told me about how you had to have blocks on your vision removed. Well, the hasty option here will be a hundred times more painful than that. The gradual option is painless. "

"Sirius, what's our plan, you're the parent/guardian here?' asked Harry.

"Harry, the ball is in your court here, " said Sirius firmly, "I can give you guidance. But, ultimately, you need to learn to make decisions about yourself for yourself. This is a perfect opportunity for you to do so."

"If you leave the ball in my court, then I'm choosing the hasty option, " said Harry decisively, "I can handle pain. You know that better than you would like. Yes, physical pain does suck. But I'll take that over having to be on a liquid only diet for months ten out ten times."

"Very well, then, " said Dr. Molar, "I just need to do a bit nonverbal wandwork to remove your teeth."

Next nanosecond, Dr. Molar raised his wand and pointed it at Harry's open mouth. He made a few movements of his wand and within a few minutes, Harry was toothless.

Dr. Molar then reached onto a high shelf and pulled down a bottle of white potion labeled Hasty Tooth Growth Potion and gave it to Harry, who drank it without complaint despite it tasting like wallpaper paste.

"You can spend the day here and stay overnight too, " Dr. Molar, "I didn't schedule any later appointments for today because I know something like this was likely to come up based on what Sirius told me about your history. "

"Thanks, " chorused Harry and Sirius.

"Mr. Potter, " said Dr. Molar seriously, "Contrary to what Madam Pomfrey might think, I think company is good during times like these. Forget "This boy has all his teeth to regrow! He needs rest and quiet! I say, company and conversation are good distractions to limit how much you notice the pain. In addition to your godfather, I'd like to allow you to have two of your friends from Hogwarts to join you for the day."

"I won't do that, " said Harry clearly, "I see the idea, but I won't ask my friends to give up their day."

"I've already asked two of them, " smiled Sirius, "Dr. Molar brought up the possibility to me beforehand because he suspected what you were fast and predicted you would choose the hasty method. The two have agreed to arrive here at 2 P.M."

As Sirius spoke, the sound of two portkeys coming into the office filled the room.

Into the office stepped Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley.

"Oh, Harry!" cried Hermione

"How are you feeling, Harry?" asked Ginny kindly.

"I'm starting to feel some of the pain, " said Harry honestly, "But I'm glad of the company. And, Hermione, Ginny, a BIG thank you to both of you for coming today. I know you don't have to do this-"

"We're your friends, Harry, " interjected Hermione fiercely, "Friends support friends when called upon."

"Especially when their friends are going through tough times, " added Ginny in an equally fierce voice.

"Besides, we won't be bored, " said Hermione, pointing at sturdy hot pink bag in Ginny's hands.

"We've brought some things we can do together to pass the time and keep your mind off the pain while respecting that this is an office and not making mess or noise, " explained Ginny.

After Ginny opened the bag, she and Hermione helped Harry passed the time as the three friends swapped chocolate frog cards (this resulted in all three of them losing several duplicates while gaining cards they didn't have so that all three came closer to having complete sets.), playing hangman and tic tac toe on some scrap paper, playing the board games Candyland and Chutes and Ladders, and having drawing competitions. Occasionally, Ginny would entertain Harry and Hermione with her excellent singing. Harry and Hermione particularly appreciated Ginny's beautiful renditions of Puff the Magic Dragon, The Yellow Rose of Texas, and Home on the Range.

At what would have been dinnertime, Harry, Sirius, Hermione, and Ginny each drank a can of Michelob. But despite being offered the opportunity to do so, Sirius, Hermione and Ginny refused to eat that night.

"if Harry can't tonight, then I won't either, " said Hermione in a show of solidarity.

"We will eat again when Harry can eat again, " declared Ginny, "Not before. We're in this together."

"Exactly!" agreed Sirius.

Around bedtime, Dr. Molar warned Harry, "It is impossible to sleep with the pain you are experiencing."

"So, Ginny and I won't sleep either, " insisted Hermione, "Therefore, Ginny and I will help you pass the time by reading to you aloud."

Ginny dug her hands back into the hot pink bag she had brought with and retrieved her copy of The Hobbit.

Ginny and Hermione took turns reading the chapters so neither would have their voice get too tired.

By the time the reading was finished, it was breakfast time.

"Hermione, Ginny, " said Harry fondly, "Thanks for the reading. I really enjoyed that story. I do wish Thorin Oakenshield had made it though."

"That was heartbreaking, " admitted Ginny.

"Well-" began Hermione, but Harry suddenly burst out.

"I HAVE NO MORE PAIN!' yelled Harry excitedly.

"Let me take a look then, " ordered Dr. Molar.

""Perfect, ' said Dr. Molar with a smile, "You a complete new set of perfectly good teeth. Now it's just up to you to take care of them."

"I will, and if didn't, Sirius would make me, " promised Harry.

"You may go, " said Dr. Molar.

Sirius took Harry, Hermione, and Ginny back to Harry's and Sirius's house where they found the kitchen table already set with places for four. They enjoyed a fantastic breakfast of pancakes, sausage links, and Budweiser and they all better after getting something in their stomachs.

When breakfast was over, Harry looked between Sirius, Hermione, and Ginny and said, "Sirius, Hermione, and Ginny I'm going to sing a song for you three to express my appreciation of what you've done for me. Sirius, Hermione, Ginny this is for you."

Harry burst into song.

"Ohhhh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh.

It must have been cold there in my shadow,  
To never have sunlight on your face.  
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.  
You always walked a step behind.

So, I was the one with all the glory,  
While you were the one with all the strength.  
A beautiful face without a name for so long.  
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you're my hero,  
And everything I would like to be?  
I can fly higher than an eagle,  
For you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,  
But I've got it all here in my heart.  
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.  
I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you're my hero?  
You're everything I wish I could be.  
I could fly higher than an eagle,  
For you are the wind beneath my wings.

Did I ever tell you you're my hero?  
You're everything, everything I wish I could be.  
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,  
For you are the wind beneath my wings,  
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Oh, the wind beneath my wings.  
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings.  
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.  
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.  
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.

Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,  
So high I almost touch the sky.  
Thank you, thank you,  
Thank you for you, the wind beneath my wings."

Sirius, Hermione, and Ginny felt their insides glowing as they listened to Harry's song. They could feel within themselves how much Harry genuinely appreciated their support.

"You know something?" said Harry, "There's a difference between a buddy and a friend and you three truly are friends."

Sirius, Hermione, and Ginny just smiled.


	38. An Opportunity for Ginny

With Harry, Sirius, Hermione, and Ginny still sitting at the breakfast table, Sirius said, "Harry, Hermione and Ginny are going to be staying for the day. I have scheduled a doctor's appointment for you this afternoon and there's a possibility you will need their support again."

"Along those lines, " said Harry meaningfully, "I'd like to take this moment to acknowledge Ginny for something. Hermione's been my bestie for years. No questions asked. But, if you remember when we first met you, Sirius, after I had dissolved my friendship with that jealous asshole known as Ron, you asked me if Ginny could take Ron's place as my other bestie alongside Hermione. I said that I would like to develop more of a friendship with her but that she could not take the place of a bestie because of our difference in year at Hogwarts. You know, Ginny, you have proven me wrong. Ginny, you've proven to me that despite the difference in years that you are just as much a bestie to me as Hermione, even though we haven't been friends nearly as long."

"I am very touched by the acknowledgement, Harry, " said Ginny sincerely with a tear running down her cheek, "But I must confess that there is one favor I could have done for you but didn't. I personally believe I made the right decision in not doing this favor for you, but I think you have the right to know why I made that choice."

"Let me guess, " said Harry in immediate understanding, "You knew all along that Ron was a terrible person and a bad friend and you could have told me that yourself. You knew that Ron only wanted to be my friend because he hoped being friends with The Boy Who Lived would bring him some of my fame and that he could get some deflected glory from me. You knew that Ron saw me as The Boy Who Lived rather than Harry Potter. But you didn't tell me this because you thought it would be better for me to figure out on my own what a horrible friend Ron really was and to learn from it. I stayed friends with Ron for too long because he was my first ever friend. By having me figure this out on my own, it enabled me to learn a true lesson in a what true friend really is."

"Exactly right, " confirmed Ginny, "I believed that if I told you straight up, you might repeat the mistake of befriending someone who wanted to be your friend for the wrong reasons. I thought figuring it out on your own would allow to mature and learn a valuable lesson at the same time."

"You know, " said Harry thoughtfully, "The most important part of being a good friend is supporting your friends when they need you. But in this case, you were actually a better friend by not helping me and letting me figure this out on my own. But what exactly did you know about Ron?"

"He's always been a glory hound, he gets jealous easily, and I knew he desired fame, " said Ginny matter of factly.

"I hate it when some people want to justify Ron's jealousy by talking about his large number of siblings, " said Harry fiercely, "But you have the same number of siblings as Ron and one more older sibling. If anything, having another older sibling makes it even harder for you to get attention at home than Ron, but you've never been a jealous person at all. Thank goodness I'm well shot of Ron and that you're my friend instead now."

"I always had a gut feeling you'd see the light about Ron at some point, " Ginny told Harry simply.

"Sirius, " asked Hermione nervously, "What are you expecting out of Harry's doctor's appointment?"

"I just hope we don't find scar upon scar on him, " answered Sirius uneasily.

"Sirius, " said Harry seriously, "There's something you should know before we go to my doctor's appointment. For a long time, I had scars all over my body owing to the attention of my aunt's frying pan and my uncle's belt. These scars had always remained just as bad as they were when I first got them. But these scars all mysteriously and miraculously healed when Vernon and Petunia died."

"Hmm, " said Sirius uncertainly, shaking his head.

"That does not make sense, " said Ginny in a confused voice, shaking her head as well.

"OHH!" cried Hermione, "I know what happened!"

"What!?" chorused Harry, Sirius, and Ginny."

"Someone, almost certainly Dumbledore, put a spell on Harry using Dark Magic so that any scar his aunt and uncle inflicted upon him would remain completely and permanently intact to the full extent that Harry's aunt and uncle put them on him. The caveat is that such spells to keep the damage one person does to another permeant require that the person or people who did the damage to stay alive to work. If the people who inflicted the damage die, then the spell terminates automatically, " explained Hermione.

"Then this afternoon's appointment may go better than I'm hoping, and we can enjoy a nice fat lunch together afterwards, " said Sirius hopefully, "But why aren't you in Ravenclaw, Hermione, with brains like yours?"

"Well, the Sorting Hat DID seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw, " said Hermione matter of factly, "But it decided on Gryffindor in the end."

"Did you ask the Sorting Hat to put you in Gryffindor?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yes, " confirmed Hermione, "I'd asked around beforehand and I thought Gryffindor sounded the best."

"I ask because the Sorting Hat wanted to place me in Slytherin, but I asked not to go into Slytherin, " explained Harry, "So the Sorting Hat does take people's choices into account. I know now that my anti Slytherin prejudice was misguided but that's what it was at the time."

"Even though I'm very clever and intelligent myself, I value courage more, " said Hermione, looking proudly at Harry.

"Of course, " remembered Harry, "Just before I went to face Quirrell over the Sorcerer's Stone, you told me I was a great wizard. When I said I wasn't as good as you. You replied that bravery was more important than books or cleverness."

"I've always admired courage over all other traits, " said Hermione clearly.

"I just hope you don't have to be as brave today as you were yesterday, " Sirius wryly.

At noon, Harry, Sirius, Hermione, and Ginny took an empty potion bottle portkey to the doctor Sirius had arranged for Harry to see, a tall but skinny brown haired man with purple eyes named Wanda Wellness.

"Hello, there Mr. Black, " said Dr. Wellness in a businesslike voice, "Is Mr. Potter ready for his exam?"

"Yes, I am," said Harry simply.

The truth ended up being that not much came out of the exam. Dr. Wellness took Harry's vitals such as his heartrate and blood pressure and they turned up normal. She had Harry take off all his clothes so she could carefully examine every inch of his body for scars but there were none there. The diagnostic spells she performed on his bones revealed no issues.

"I have only one concern, " said Dr. Wellness clearly, "Mr. Potter is too short for his age and too thin even for that height. Were Mr. Potter a couple years younger I would prescribe a Nutrient Potion. But overdosing on Nutrient Potions can lead to obesity and teenagers are much more prone than children or adults to this side effect. I don't think there's much I can do. My advice is simply for Mr. Potter to eat a lot for a while and see if he can gain some weight. I'm surprised at his lack of scars considering what I heard about his muggle relatives."

"I did have them, " Harry informed Dr. Wellness, "But they healed once my aunt and uncle died."

"That means someone had you under a spell to make the scars your aunt and uncle gave you last forever, " replied Dr. Wellness. "The deaths of your aunt and uncle ended the spell because the spell would've needed your aunt and uncle to stay alive to last. As your aunt and uncle were muggles, they cannot have put any spells on you. Dumbledore must have done that."

"We're sure of that now, " said Harry.

"I guess there's not much to say then, " said Dr. Wellness. "Now go find Mr. Potter something to eat."

"In that case, " smiled Sirius, "Are you lot up for a big chicken meal?"

"Yes!" chorused Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Dr. Wellness?" asked Sirius, "Can I have an empty potions bottle to turn into a portkey. I can't use the one that brought us here because any individual object can only be used as a portkey once."

"Of course, Mr. Black, " replied Dr. Wellness with a smile, "Anything that can take Mr. Potter to some food right now is a good thing."

So, Dr. Wellness gave Sirius an empty potion bottle that turned Sirius into a portkey Sirius then took Harry, Hermione, and Ginny to Cedric's Chicken Cravings, a sit down restaurant owned by Amos Diggory that he had named after his son Cedric.

They landed in the waiting area. There was a row of chairs that patrons could sit down on while they waited for a waiter or waitress to seat them. Some waiting patrons were already sitting in some of them.

Sirius, Harry, and Hermione all took seats. However, as there were four of them and only three open seats, Ginny had to stand while they waited.

After a while. with her legs starting to get tired, Ginny decided to sing a song as a diversion.

Ginny burst into song and sang:

"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag  
Drifting thought the wind  
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin  
Like a house of cards  
One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep  
Six feet under scream  
But no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you  
'cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light  
And let it shine  
Just own the night  
Like the Fourth of July

'cause baby you're a firework  
Come on show 'em what your worth  
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"  
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework  
Come on let your colors burst  
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"  
You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down down down

You don't have to feel like a waste of space  
You're original, cannot be replaced  
If you only knew what the future holds  
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed  
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road  
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow  
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light  
And let it shine  
Just own the night  
Like the Fourth of July

'cause baby you're a firework  
Come on show 'em what your worth  
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"  
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework  
Come on let your colors burst  
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"  
You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down down down

Boom, boom, boom  
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon  
It's always been inside of you, you, you  
And now it's time to let it through

'cause baby you're a firework  
Come on show 'em what your worth  
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"  
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework  
Come on let your colors burst  
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"  
You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down down down  
Boom, boom, boom  
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon  
Boom, boom, boom  
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon."

As Ginny finished her song, Sirius, Harry, and Hermione burst into huge rounds of applause.

They all knew how special Ginny's singing voice was, having heard it multiple times, but hearing this performance made something clear to Harry.

But the nanosecond Harry was about to explain what he was thinking, a waitress came and found a table for Sirius, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

There were menus on the table. But Sirius, who had eaten at Cedric's Chicken Cravings a few times before, asked.

"Harry, Hermione, Ginny, may I make a suggestion for all four of us to order the same meal? I've eaten here before and there's this one meal I KNOW is just totally awesome baby! You don't have to take my suggestion and can order what you want, but I'm very confident you will all love this particular meal."

"I'll trust your judgement on that, Sirius, " said Harry at once and Hermione and Ginny quickly followed suit.

"Let's go with the three piece spicy chicken combo. This comes with a big chicken breast, a wing, and a leg with sides of curly fires, sweet corn, and like all meals here, comes with a dinner roll, " said Sirius eagerly, "We'll do Budweiser for the drinks today."

"SOUNDS GREAT!" Chorused Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

Within a minute and a nanosecond, the waitress returned to their table with their three piece chicken meals.

"YUM!' cried out all four at once the nanosecond the first bite of the chicken.

"Man, this is the best spicy chicken I've ever tasted, " beamed Harry at once, "O in N.E.W.T. "

"Certified fresh, 100%" said Hermione cheerfully.

"Order of Merlin, First Class, " piped up Ginny with a huge smile."

The fires, corn, rolls, and Budweiser were good, but the chicken was just so good that it overshadowed everything else.

A few minutes into the meal, Harry looked at Ginny and said, "Ginny, with a singing voice like yours you really should be in Hogwarts choir."

"Believe me, I would be if one existed, " said Ginny a nanosecond later, "It's really too bad Hogwarts doesn't have a choir. It has reading clubs, sports, Charms clubs, etc., but no choir."

"That seems a pretty big oversight, " added Hermione, "I hate to agree with the manipulative old bastard on anything, but he was right when said that music is a magic beyond all we do at Hogwarts."

"Despite having a school song, " said Ginny thoughtfully, "We have no school choir. I'll be honest, I'm more disappointed by that all the time especially every time I sing a song and it's clear someone appreciates my singing talent. I'd love to hone and craft that talent in a choir, but alas, that opportunity doesn't exist for me."

"Alas nothing, " said Harry fiercely, "As soon as we return to Godric's Hollow, I'm going to write to Professor Lupin and request that a choir be started at Hogwarts."

Ginny sat stunned, hardly darling to believe it, but managed to give Harry a smile all the same.

The rest of the meal passed happily and uneventfully and after Sirius had gotten, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny back to Godric's Hollow using an empty fries bag as a portkey, Harry, as always, proved a man of his word.

Harry took out his eagle feather quill and some parchment and wrote.

Dear Headmaster Lupin:

Today Sirius took me, Hermione, and Ginny out to lunch at Cedric's Chicken Cravings. Because there were only three open seats in the waiting area, Ginny had to stand while we were waiting for a waiter or waitress to seat us. Eventually, dealing with tired legs, Ginny decided to sing a song as a diversion. Ginny has always had a GREAT singing voice, but Sirius, Hermione, and I were blown away by how great her singing was today, and all naturally burst into rounds of applause when she had finished. During our meal, I told Ginny offhandedly that with a singing voice like hers she be in a Hogwarts choir. Ginny then expressed honest disappointment about the lack of a Hogwarts choir and admitted that she's becoming more disappointed by that all the time. Headmaster Lupin, I am writing to request that a choir be instituted at Hogwarts for the 1994-95 school year. I mean, Hogwarts has reading clubs and sports and Charms clubs and the like, but the musically gifted have nowhere at Hogwarts to utilize their talents. While I have every reason to deplore our old headmaster, he was right that music is "A magic beyond all we do here." with here referring to Hogwarts. It actually seems weird that Hogwarts has a school song but no choir. People like Ginny deserve the opportunity to practice, hone, and showcase their crafts and talents just as much as the magically, athletically, and literary gifted students. While my main intent in submitting this proposal is to vouch for Ginny, I'm sure there are other students at Hogwarts with musical talent who would savor the chance to be part of a school choir. Tryouts for such a choir could be held just like they are for Quidditch, but the school houses can be irrelevant to these tryouts. I know how much it would mean to Ginny to be given the opportunity to be part of a choir and how much she would appreciate the chance to use her musical talents are a more frequent basis and I am certain there are other Hogwarts students in her boat as well. Please give serious consideration to the prospect of a Hogwarts choir. Ginny and people like her deserve it.

Sincerely

-Harry.

Harry sent Hedwig off to Lupin with the letter and Hedwig returned with Lupin's response a couple of hours later.

Remus had written.

Dear Harry-

Thank you for your excellent suggestion. I'll admit, while I do have a number of changes planned for Hogwarts for this upcoming school year, it would never have occurred to start a Hogwarts choir. I don't know all the details yet, but I guarantee that Hogwarts will have a school choir in place for the 1994-95 school year. Do be aware of one thing; it's clear that your request that Hogwarts start a choir is a case of a friend trying to create an opportunity for a friend. This is admirable, but you should be aware that Ginny will not automatically be in the choir but will have to earn her place at tryouts just like all other aspiring members. That said, I can appreciate your motivation in hoping to help out a friend. It's the sort of thing you would do. Hoping you are well and good luck to Ginny.

Sincerely

-Hogwarts headmaster

Remus Lupin.

P.S. Be on the lookout for your Hogwarts letter over the next few days. It will explain several changes coming to Hogwarts for the upcoming school year.

Harry handed Ginny the letter and she felt her eyes welling up.

"Thank you, Harry, " said Ginny meaningfully, "You are a great friend yourself and I am very lucky to have developed such a great friendship with you. I can't express in words how much it means to me that you would vouch for me like that. Whatever comes of it, I won't forget the thought you put into this and I'll always remember how you vouched for me."

"I'm glad you will have the chance to be part of a Hogwarts choir. Don't worry about the tryouts. I know you'll be the best there."

Ginny just smiled.


	39. More Changes at Hogwarts

On the evening of Monday, July 18, 1994, Harry, and Sirius were alone in Harry's bedroom talking when Harry received a letter from Hogwarts.

"Open it, " said Sirius eagerly, "Remus promised the letter would explain more of the upcoming changes at Hogwarts. I'm very interested to know what those changes are and I'm sure you're excited to know what those changes are."

"Yes, " piped up Harry a nanosecond later as he unfurled the Hogwarts letter.

It read:

Dear Mr. Potter-

"As you set to embark on another year at Hogwarts, it is my great pleasure to reveal more of the changes coming to Hogwarts this upcoming school year. First, Hogwarts will be adding a choir and an accompanying band. I received a letter from Harry Potter requesting that Hogwarts start a choir owing to his desire to create an opportunity for his close friend Ginny Weasley, who has incredible singing talent. Mr. Potter reasoned that the musically gifted deserved the opportunity to hone their craft just as much as the magically, athletically, and literarily gifted. Mr. Potter is quite right on that point, but singing is only part of musical talent. It became clear to me that those gifted with musical instruments also deserved the opportunity to hone their craft and so I added a band to accompany the choir. In some cases, the choir or band will perform on its own and in others they will combine their talents. Tryouts for both will be held sometime in the second or third week of term. Once more firm dates have been decided, announcements will be placed on all four houses common room notice boards. Starting with this year, students in second year will be allowed to visit Hogsmeade during Hogsmeade weekends. The reality of the matter is that younger students appreciate these visits more than older students. In fact, owning to the novelty wearing off as they grow older, many sixth and seventh year students skip all of the Hogsmeade visits those last two years. We are not taking anything away. Older students in sixth and seventh years who still do want to partake in Hogsmeade weekends still may. But as Hogsmeade weekends have always appealed more to younger students and had a much higher participation rate from students below sixth year, we are now affording second years the opportunity to participate in Hogsmeade weekends. Professor Binns has been sacked and an actual living person has been hired to teach History of Magic. While Professor Binns has a vast of knowledge about magical history, I as headmaster cannot in good conscience retain Professor Binns when Hogwarts students average O.W.L. score in History of Magic during his tenure has been Dreadful. The new History of Magic teacher will be introduced at the welcoming feast. Students being respectful of their fellow students is also being emphasized. Any student who uses the four letter word starting with u and ending with y or the eight letter word staring with m and ending with d will automatically be banned from all Hogsmeade visits and extracurricular activities for the remainder of the semester in which they use those offensive words. Hogwarts has also now banned the use of secondhand wands. Mr. Olivander is absolutely telling the truth when he says that the wand chooses the wizard and that you can never get as good a result from a wand that hasn't chosen you as one that has. This rule shall be known as the Neville Longbottom rule. Mr. Longbottom has struggled in his time as a Hogwarts student and his use of his father's wand is the primary reason why. Mr. Longbottom's paternal grandmother Augusta, who is his guardian, has said she wants Neville to use Frank's way as a way of paying tribute to Frank. While that sounds nice in theory, Mr. Longbottom has been deprived of an opportunity to reach his full magical potential due to not using a wand of his own. Any student who was been using a secondhand wand should visit Mr. Olivander before term starts to acquire a wand that has chosen him or her. A fund will be set up for underprivileged Hogwarts students who require financial assistance in purchasing new wands. You should receive your official Hogwarts letter complete with your schedule for the 1994-1995 school year about a week or two before September 1st. That's all for now.

-Hogwarts Headmaster.

Remus Lupin.

"So, Hogwarts is adding a band as well as a choir, " said Harry approvingly, "I couldn't be happier for the musically gifted students at Hogwarts and the opportunities that the choir and band will provide. I wish I'd have thought of adding a band to go with the choir though."

"You're still indirectly for the band's creation, '" smiled Sirius, "Remus thought of that idea only after you had presented the choir idea first."

"Good on Remus for being so responsive, " said Harry brightly, "It's nice that we now have a headmaster who actually cares about his students."

"No question about that, " agreed Sirius, "Remus was always a great kid with a huge heart in his Hogwarts days and he hasn't changed."

"I HAVE noticed, " said Harry, "That students in sixth and seventh are significantly less interested in Hogsmeade visits than students below sixth year. Yes, the novelty DOES wear off after so many visits, but it is also true that some things are more fun when you're younger."

"When I was in school, " explained Sirois, "The Hogsmeade visit participation rate dropped noticeably once we hit sixth year. I was one of the few who actually took all available Hogsmeade visits as a sixth and seventh year, but most students had lost interest by then. On the other hand, I would think most second years would be thrilled to go into Hogsmeade."

"Totally agreed, " said Harry matter of factly, "I think I might actually be one of those to take all of the Hogsmeade visits like you were, but we're not taking away anyone's opportunities, only adding some."

"And I'm glad Remus thought to get rid of Binns, " said Sirius seriously, "Knowledgeable about your subject or not, as a teacher you bear the burden of responsibility for the performance of your students in your subject."

"Having a ghost teacher was questionable at best anyway, " added Harry, "And thank goodness Remus is implementing a ban on the two most offensive words in English"

"HELL YES! yelled Sirius, "During my time at Hogwarts, there was a certain faction of students who used such words on a regular basis."

"Even today, " said Harry fiercely, "A few too many Hogwarts students have a propensity for the uses of the "u" word and the "m" word. Hell, even one student using those offensive words is one too many."

"Exactly, " said Sirius firmly, "I'm glad to see meaningful punishments being attached to the use of those two words."

"Especially since the use of those words has too often gone entirely unpunished in the past, " finished Harry.

"What do you know about Mr. Longbottom's situation?" Sirius asked Harry.

"I've never had much to do with him personally, but he HAS always been one of the worst students in our your expect for being the top student of the year in Herbology" answered Harry, "Though I didn't know he was using a second hand wand."

"It's surprising to me that Neville Longbottom would be one of the worst students in your year, " explained Sirius in a businesslike voice, "Frank and Alice were in my year at Hogwarts though neither I nor anyone in my circle ever had much to do with them. But they were amongst the most magically gifted students in my year and magical power tends to be passed down through family lines. I'm not saying that Neville should be expected to be the top student in the class or that his magical abilities should automatically be expected to rival that of his parents. But witches and wizards who are born to parents with strong magic almost always have strong magic themselves. That magic may be somewhat stronger or somewhat weaker than that of their parents, but someone born to two magically strong parents should NEVER be amongst the worst in the class. Herbology is wandless magic so it's suspicious to me that Neville would be top of the year in Herbology but otherwise be a poor student."

"Well, it seems likely that Neville would be a much better student with a wand that has chosen him, though I can't see him being better than Hermione in anything other than Herbology, " concluded Harry.

"I can't believe that Hogwarts has allowed the use of secondhand wands all these years, " mused Sirius, shaking his head disbelievingly, "Olivander has always been clear about the wand choosing the wizard. "

"It'll be interesting to see how Neville performs with a proper wand this coming school year, " said Harry with a look of curiosity on his face, "I suspect he will become a much better wizard. "

"Now, " smirked Sirius, "Time few a little evening entertainment."

Next nanosecond, Sirius called his four house elves by name.

"Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde!" called Sirius.

The four house elves appeared in the kitchen where Harry and Sirius were still sitting at the table.

"Show Harry your trick!" ordered Sirius.

The house elves were each wearing a different colored towel. Blinky's was red, Pinky's was pink, Inky's was cyan, and Clyde's was orange.

Upon Sirius's order to show Harry their trick, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde performed a little charm that made the color of their towels change to blue. After about a minute, the towels flashed white and went back to their normal colors.

"Cool!" said a delighted Harry.


	40. Extremely Emotional Visit

On Monday, July 25th, 1994, Sirius decided it was time for Harry to see his parent's graves.

Around 2 P.M. Sirius pulled Harry aside and said quietly, "Harry, I'm going to take you to visit your parents' grave this afternoon. I do warn you that it may be very emotional for you, but I believe you need to make this visit.

Sirius took Harry by side along apparition and next thing Harry knew he was standing in front of a headstone.

The headstone was made of white marble and the engravings on it were quite easy to read.

On the left side of the headstone was engraved:

JAMES POTTER

BORN MARCH 27 1960

DIED OCTOBER 31 1981

On the right side of the headstone was engraved:

LILY POTTER

BORN JANUARY 30 1960

DIED OCTOBER 31 1981

Just beneath these engravings was a sentence that was engraved left to right so that part of it was below each of the other engravings.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Harry looked slowly the headstone and a rush of emotion came flooding down on him.

Tears came cascading down his face as though he was a giant waterfall. Not just ordinary tears either. Tears with a burning sensation in them.

Harry felt every emption in the book: pride, grief, loss, anger, gratitude, and yearning.

He felt pride in the type of people James and Lily had been and was proud to be their son,

He experienced the grief that came with coming face to face with the reality that James and Lily really were gone and could never come back.

He thought of what he had lost when hadn't grown up with his own mom and dad. How they had never tucked him into bed or read him nursery rhymes. How they had never baked him a birthday cake. How they hadn't been there with Harry when had gotten his wand and how they hadn't been able to see him off to Hogwarts at King's Cross.

He was filled anger. Anger at Voldemort for killing his mom and dad and stronger anger still at Pettigrew for betraying them.

Harry also felt a strong sense of gratitude that his mom and dad had laid down their lives so that he could live.

And he was filled a deep yearning, "Please, please, let them come back. Even if just for once."

Harry thought all thought all these thoughts to himself and he felt even more emotional as they rushed by him.

For a while, the tears just fell, and the emotion just poured out. It wasn't the easiest trip for Sirius either, as it brought back bitter memories of the loss of two of his closest friends,

But he kept his distance and allowed Harry to weep.

When Harry's tears did start to subside, Sirius approached Harry and pulled a wreath of roses out of his right hand pocket.

Harry gently laid the roses on his parents' grave.

Still too choked up and emotional to say much, Harry simply said, "Mom, dad, thank you and goodbye."

When Harry and Sirius were back at the house, Sirius asked Harry, "How do you feel now?"

"That was a really hard and emotional visit, " admitted Harry, "But I think it was good for me. All the emotions I have about the deaths of my parents deaths that I have never dealt with before came flowing out of me. It was hard, it was brutally emotionally painful. But, and I don't how to fully explain this, it was healthy for me. It was healthy for me to face those emotions and release them. I've had all these emotions bottled up inside me for years and I was never even allowed let alone made to deal with them. I wouldn't say that I've fully accepted what happened. But just let out all the emptions I had bottled up inside for years felt like a release after it was over. I'll still have these feelings and emotions, but I feel like I can better process them cope with them now."

"That's why you needed today's visit, " said Sirius seriously, "You needed to face and release that emotion before it destroyed you from inside. "

"There's one thing worrying me though, " revealed Harry, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Isn't that a Voldemort and Death Eater idea?"

"All I know, " said Sirius honestly, "Is that James and Lily had requested the line be put on their grave. I don't know it means to them. But rest assured, James and Lily were the people you think they were. They'd have given themselves dementor's kisses before they'd join Voldemort."

"Sirius, " said Harry quietly, "Thank you for taking me to my parents grave today. You were right. I needed that."

A/N: I personally believe that the phrase the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death was originally created by either Grindewald or Dumbledore during the time of their youths when they were consumed with the Deathly Hallows. At this point, Harry and Sirius do not know about this part of Grindewald's and Dumbledore's pasts. I believe James and Lily would applied a different meaning to this phrase though I'm not fully sure what that might be. I do remember feeling unnerved by this phrase when I first read Deathly Hallows.


	41. Lily's Letter

On Saturday, July 30th, 1994, Harry and Sirius were sitting on a white Ashley Furniture sofa in the living room around two in the afternoon when Sirius turned to Harry and said, "Harry I have something I want to show you. Follow me to my room."

Harry did as he was told and, in a minute and a nanosecond, Harry and Sirius were in Sirius's old bedroom.

Sirius opened a drawer on a black mahogany desk in the room and retrieved what looked like a piece of paper with some writing on it.

"Harry, " said Sirius seriously, "This is a letter that your mom wrote to me late in her life, just after your first birthday. I promised you awhile back that I would show you this letter. The time has come for me to fulfill that promise."

Sirius handed the letter to Harry, who felt a solemn sense of foreboding as he took the letter from Sirius and began to read.

_Dear Padfoot,_ _thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favorite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Of course, James thought it was funny, says he's going to be a great Quidditch player, but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take our eyes off him when he gets going._ _We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been sweet to us, and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn't come, but the Order's got to come first, and Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it, but I can tell - also, Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard._ _Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore could ever have been friends with Gellert Grindelwald. I think her mind's going, personally!_

_Lots of love,_

_Lily._

Harry stood frozen still after he'd finished reading the letter. He felt every emotion in the book at once, with the end result being half ecstatic joy and half terrible sadness, just as when he'd seen his parents in the Mirror of Erised.

"M-my mom really w-wrote th-this?" said Harry weakly.

"Yes, she did, " said Sirius quietly, "I really appreciate the acknowledgment Lily gave me in this letter for your birthday present and I also really appreciate the thought Lily showed by sending the picture as well. Lily was not only a singularly gifted witch, but an uncommonly kind woman. Unfortunately, I think the picture is lost, but I will make an effort to find the picture tomorrow while you're at your birthday party. I can't promise that it will turn up, but I do promise to show it to you if it does."

"Do you know if the toy broomstick referenced in this letter was my first ever broomstick?" Harry asked Sirius.

"It was!" confirmed Sirius proudly.

"That's awesome!" replied Harry radiantly, "You were the one who bought me my first ever broomstick AND my best ever broomstick. That's just super cool!"

"It is!" agreed Sirius a nanosecond later, "And the cat mentioned is a cat you've met."

"Swirl?" guessed Harry.

"Considering recent events, I can see why you'd guess Swirl, but you are wrong."

"Mrs. Norris? I sure hope not."

"Nope, " said Sirius, starting to grin a little bit, "One more guess?"

"One of old figgy's cats?"

"No, " smirked Sirius, "The cat in question is Crookshanks!"

"Crookshanks!" piped up Harry, "Crookshanks once belonged to my mom and dad! That would explain how he knew you, why he was willing to help you, and why he is affectionate towards both of us!"

"Exactly!" beamed Sirius.

"That's so cool!" said Harry cheerfully, "My bestie's pet cat was once my mom's and dad's pet cat!. Oh, of course, When Hermione bought Crookshanks, the witch in the pet shop said he'd been in there for "ages". Well, "ages" must have meant twelve years. Armed with the intelligence of being part kneazle, Crookshanks knew that his owners had died and that therefore there was no one left to feed him. He found a pet shop to take him in until someone wanted him again "

"That's exactly what happened, " said Sirius matter of factly, "The twelve years in the pet shop were a lonely time for Crookshanks, but still, he's alive."

"Not unlike yourself, " realized Harry.

"After James and Lily died, I didn't think I'd ever be able to find any joy in life again, especially given my role in their deaths. But taking you in as my ward has actually brought some joy and cheer back to me. "

"James and Lily would be proud of how you're fulfilling your duty as godfather, " Harry told Sirius meaningfully.

"I've never known a person who appreciates his or her friends more than you, Harry, " said Sirius proudly, "Seeing how you interact with Hermione and Ginny is priceless. If I may ask, how do you feel about your two best friends both being girls?'

"That doesn't matter at all, " said Harry fiercely, "There are no boys or girls, only people. The only difference between a boy and a girl is the pronouns used to refer to them."

"Good for you for having that anti sexism attitude and being gender blind, " said Sirius approvingly.

"Did you ever play Quidditch yourself?' Harry asked Sirius.

"No, " said Sirius simply, "It was always James who was the Quidditch Player. I love flying though.'

"I was a TOTAL natural on a broomstick in our first flying lesson!" said Harry happily, unable to resist putting a bit of a boastful tent in his voice.

"The same held true for James, " releveled Sirius brightly, "The apple didn't fall from the tree at all."

"It's actually totally believable that Dumbledore would have been friends with Grindelwald, " realized Harry, "Lily can't have been expected to know this at the time, but Dumbledore had a LOT in common with Grindelwald. "

"The Dumbledore who was besties with Grindelwald is the true Dumbledore, " said Sirius firmly, "Dumbledore as the white champion of the light is an act.'

"That's clear now, " said Harry simply.

Not much more was said after that, both Harry and Sirius were not in the mood to discuss Wormtail in any form.

A few minutes later, Sirius piped up, "Tomorrow is your fourteenth birthday. I will be sending you off in the morning and coming to pick you up in the evening. I won't say any more right now, but your big birthday party will be taking place in a magical bubble that only witches and wizards under the age of twenty can enter." I KNOW that you're going to love what's been planned for your birthday."

"I know I will, " said Harry confidently, "But how will you get me there if you can't enter?"

"I can go to outside of the bubble, just not enter it, " explained Sirius.

"Looking forward to my birthday party tomorrow then!" smiled Harry.


	42. New Wand

On Sunday July 31st, 1994, Harry's 14th birthday, Harry was awoken at 5 A.M. by two adult male voices yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!"

Harry got out of bed and saw the two adults were Sirius and Garrick Olivander.

"Thank you, Sirius and Mr. Olivander, " replied Harry politely.

"Harry, " said Sirius seriously, "Mr. Olivander didn't just come here to say happy birthday to you."

"What's up then?" asked Harry curiously.

"As your first fourteen birthday present, I am going to give you a new wand, " said Olivander in a businesslike voice, "Sirius has written to me and explained the insecurities you have regarding your phoenix feather wand and its relationship to the Dark Lord's wand."

"Well, " admitted Harry, "I feel deeply uneasy knowing that my wand and Voldemort's wand are brothers who share cores."

"I agree with that discomfort, " said Sirius firmly, "There's something out of place about that. There's something there that just feels not right."

"So, " said Olivander matter of factly, "I've brought a stack of wands just in case the first one you try doesn't choose you. But would you prefer a supple and bendy wand or a straight and stuff wand?"

"Straight and stiff, " said Harry firmly, "I strongly suspect straight and stiff wands are easier to control than supple and bendy wands."

"There's no evidence either way that it makes any difference to your magical ability or performance, " explained Olivander,, "But many wizards and witches do feel more comfortable with straight and stiff wands as they are easier to hold."

"That's my preference, " said Harry clearly.

So Olivander dug into his right hand pocket and retrieved a straight and stiff wand.

"Fourteen inches, mahogany and unicorn hair, " smiled Olivander as he handed Harry the wand.

Harry raised the fourteen inch mahogany and unicorn hair wand above his head and immediately felt a pleasant warmth in his fingers as scarlet and gold sparks flowed overhead.

"This is the one, Mr. Potter, " said Olivander in a satisfied voice.

"How fitting that I would get a fourteen inch wand as a fourteenth birthday present, " beamed Harry, "I like that it has a unicorn hair core too because unicorns are such pure creatures."

"It's a known fact in wandlore that unicorn hair core wands only choose pure hearted wizards and witches, " revealed Olivander.

"There are few people in the world as genuinely pure hearted as Harry Potter, " said Sirius proudly.

"This feels really different from when my first wand chose me, " said Harry glowingly, "When my first wand chose me there was aura of mystery and tension. This wand choosing me is giving me the vibe of friendliness, warmth, and acceptance."

"Then this is a better wand for you, " said Olivander firmly.

"I can sense that already, " said Harry simply.

"I've got to return to my shop, " said Olivander, "Good luck, Harry Potter."

Olivander disapparated and Harry and Sirius were alone in the house again.

"Like your new wand, Harry?" said Sirius cheerfully.

"It's fantastic, " said Harry brightly, "I'm looking forward to Hogwarts more than ever now that I've got this wand."

Sirius now crawled under Harry's bed and retrieved a shirt. The shirt was scarlet with a gold 14 embroidered on both the front and the back.

"All the kids at your birthday party will be wearing these shirts today, " explained Sirius, "So put this shirt on after your shower. And be sure to wear shorts today. It's going to be close to a hundred degrees today."

"Okay, " said Harry simply.

And before Harry knew what had happened, Sirius had dropped him off at magical bubble for his fourteen birthday party.


	43. Birthday Cake

As Harry made himself comfortable inside the magical bubble, he heard multiple voices sing out.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Harry. Happy birthday to you."

"That was beautiful, thank you, " said harry warmly. "I'm fourteen today. If I were a muggle, I'd be starting high school this fall."

"Oh, how the years go by, " said Hermione with a smile.

"It does feel like I've zipped from being a kindergartener to being of high school age, " smiled Harry, "What have you lot got planned for my birthday?"

"You'll see as we go along, " smiled Ginny.

"Our first order of business is to decide who gets to present you with your birthday cake, " explained Luna.

"We're going to play a game to decide that, " said Susan eagerly.

"And what if I won the game?" asked Harry curiously.

"Then it becomes your choice who presents it to you, " explained Tracey.

"So, " said a blonde girl Harry had never talked to but knew to be Daphne Greengrass, "We're going to be playing an ancient wizarding game called Shuntbumps."

"Shuntbumps, " explained a an average sized average heighted girl with a deep tan, brown eyes, and really light brown hair standing with Tracey and Daphne who Harry assumed was Lily Moon, "Is a simple broom game where the object is simply to knock your opponents off their brooms. Last person still on his or her broom is the winner."

"Well, " said a younger looking Daphne who Harry assumed was Daphne's little sister Astoria, "We need broomsticks to play Shuntbumps."

Next nanosecond, everyone present found a Firebolt standing in front of him or her.

"Don't get too excited, " warned Hannah, "These Firebolts are temporary and will disappear when the game of Shuntbumps ends."

"It's part of the magic of the bubble that it can create temporary material things, " explained Angelina, "But the key word is temporary."

"The objects will only exist for as long as they are needed to complete whatever they were asked for, " added Alicia.

"Which means, " piped up Katie, "If we play another broom game later, we'll have to ask for brooms again."

"Let's play, " said Harry excitedly.

So, everybody kicked off from the ground hard and the game of Shuntbumps began.

From the very start there was a "I want to one up those closest to me, " thing going on.

Harry, wanting to get one on his best friends and wanting to be able to rib and raze them a bit later, targeted Hermione and Ginny first.

Harry, knowing that Hermione was the worst flier present, shot his broom directly at Hermione first and knocked into her.

To no one's surprise, Hermione fell off her broom instantly and became the first player eliminated.

Harry then pursued Ginny from behind and knocked into her as hard as humanly possible. Ginny was unable to keep her balance and fell too, also being quickly eliminated.

"I got you both so good!" Harry smirked to Hermione and Ginny standing below.

Hermione looked a little haughty, but Ginny was actually grinning. There were few people in the world who could take ribbing and razing better than Ginny Weasley.

The same type of idea applied elsewhere in the game.

Colin had eliminated Dennis and Fred and George had teamed up to eliminate Lee Jordan while Ernie had gotten rid of Hannah.

Daphne, meanwhile, had taken out Astoria, Tracey, and Lily within a minute of each other.

Oliver Wood had likewise made quick work of Angelonia, Alicia, and Katie.

As the game progressed, Harry ended up knocking off Susan, Luna, and Daphne along the way.

The most random elimination came Colin got rid of Ernie despite having only bumped him lightly. Ernie hat let his grip become too loose as the game had gone along.

Oliver eventually eliminated Colin by pure accident. But Oliver's pride came crashing down a bit when Fred and George teamed up to eliminate him.

The game then slowed down as Harry stood on and watched an epic battle between Fred and George to see which twin could last longer.

This was a mono e mono that went on for several minutes and several nanoseconds. Fred and George kept ramming into each other as hard as they physically could, but neither would give.

Incredibly, and perhaps fittingly, Fred and George eventually knocked into each other in such a way that they fell at literally the exact same nanosecond.

"I WIN!' shouted Harry ecstatically as he was indeed the only person still on a broom.

Harry dismounted his Firebolt and all the Firebolts vanished and were replaced in the center of the room with chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on it with Harry Birthday Harry laid over the chocolate frosting with mint green frosting.

"I am going to choose two people rather than one to present me with my birthday cake," said Harry fiercely, "Hermione, Ginny, do the honors!"

Hermione and Ginny both felt their eyes well up with tears of emotion.

Harry could have chosen anyone there to present him with his birthday cake and of everyone he had chosen them. But he hadn't chosen between them. They truly were Harry's best friends and on an equal level at that.

Hermione and Ginny slowly walked up to where Harry's birthday cake lay, and Hermione picked it up by the left side and Ginny picked it up by the right side.

Hermione and Ginny walked slowly up to Harry and Hermione and Ginny placed the cake in Harry's hands, letting go at the same time.

"Hermione, Ginny, I could not have chosen two better people to present me with my fourteenth birthday cake, " said Harry in a heartfelt voice.

"We are very touched you would choose us as the people to present you your birthday cake, " said Hermione emotionally.

"This means so much to us, " said Ginny with equal emotion in her voice.

"It means just as much to me, " said Harry genuinely.

Turning to the gathering as a whole, Harry said fiercely, "I am the luckiest fourteen year old in the world to have Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley be my two besties, my BFFs."

Everyone smiled.

It was a pure moment. Two best friends meaningfully presenting a birthday cake to their best friends.

And for Harry, it was the best and purest way possible to receive his birthday cake.

His two close BFFs, Hermione and Ginny, presenting his birthday cake to him.

There could nothing purer for Harry to experience as he hit fourteen.

Harry now placed a Binding Charm so that it set itself over his heart without falling. Hermione was standing to Harry's left and Ginny to his right.

Harry now placed his left arm around Hermione and his right arm around Ginny.

"Can the bubble at least create a permanent picture?' asked Harry, "It would mean so much to me if I could have a picture of myself holding m fourteenth birthday cake Hermione and Ginny standing on either side of me."

"The bubble can't, but I can, " piped up Colin eagerly.

"You have a camera with you?" Harry asked Colin.

"Oh, yes, " said Colin as he pulled a camera out of his left hand pocket.

"Stand still, " Colin instructed Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all stood still, and Colin took the picture.

Colin handed the picture to Harry, who felt tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks.

"Thank you, Colin, " said Harry gratefully.

Harry looked down at the picture of himself holding his fourteenth birthday cake as he was surrounded by Hermione and Ginny.

"This picture, " said Harry emotionally, "Is now one of my most prized possessions. To stand holding my fourteenth birthday cake surrounded by my two BFFs is just such an incredibly special moment for me."

After a few minutes and a few nanoseconds of meaningful silence removed the Binding Charm from his birthday cake and held it out for everybody to see.

"LET'S DIG IN!" declared Harry.


	44. Who Made the Cake?

"Actually, " said Harry, "Before we dig into the cake, I'm curious about something. Did the bubble create the cake by itself?"

"No, " said Hermione clearly, "Food cannot be conjured by itself, although it can be multiplied if you already have some. It can also be summoned. Most things can be conjured, but food is one of the exceptions. This cake was premade, and the magic of the bubble summoned it here at the appropriate time."

"Who made it then?" asked Harry curiously.

"Tina Creevey!" answered Hermione.

"Excellent, " said Harry happily, "Tina is a wondaful cook and I'm sure this will be a fabulous cake! Tina's Easter ham is still some of the best food I've ever tasted. Before we make short work of this excellent creation, there is something that I think should happen first. Colin, Dennis, since this cake is your mom's creation, I think you two would like to hold it and have me take a picture of it so when it's gone you can have a picture of yourselves holding your mom's creation. Colin, if I could borrow your camera for a minute and a nanosecond, I could take a picture of you and Dennis holding the beautiful cake your mom made for my birthday party before we demolish it."

Colin and Dennis both burst into wide smiles and made their way up to where Harry was standing.

Harry handed Colin and Dennis the cake and Colin handed Harry his camera.

Harry took a couple of pictures of Colin and Dennis holding his birthday cake, a cake Harry now knew their mother had made.

"Actually, " said Colin clearly after Harry had taken those pictures, "I'd like one of you holding the cake with us. Give the camera to Ginny and let her take a picture of Dennis and I holding the cake with you."

"Actually, " said Ginny honestly, "I think Hermione would be a better choice to take that picture. Hermione is muggleborn and understands muggle technology like cameras way better than I do."

So Harry handed Hermione the camera and went to join Colin and Dennis, who repositioned the cake so that all three of them were holding together and Hermione took a few pictures of Harry, Colin, and Dennis holding the cake together and then returned the camera to Colin.

Looking at how the pictures came out, Colin and Dennis just warmly smiled at each other and at Harry and Hermione.

"Harry, " said Colin sincerely, "Thank you for the thought here. Taking these pictures never occurred to me but if we hadn't done so I would have regretted it later. Thank you for thinking of that and reaching out to Dennis and I."

"I knew you might like to have those pictures, " smiled Harry brightly, "Since I did think of it, I made the offer."

"Dennis and I are both very grateful that you did, " said Colin genuinely.

"Mom will be happy to see these pictures too, " added Dennis, "She's really proud of her cooking abelites you know."

"How did Tina become the person to make my birthday cake?" asked Harry.

"The thing is, " explained Hermione, "This cake was just made yesterday. Sirius wanted the cake to be fresh when it got here so it couldn't be made too far in advance. Sirius asked Molly Weasley to do it, but Molly suggested Tina instead. Molly is a great cook of course, but she's a witch and uses a lot of magic in her cooking. Tina is a muggle and can cook only by muggle means. Molly said that there are certain things, especially cake, that come out best when hand crafted by muggle means. Sirius then asked Tina to do it and she agreed."

"I think either one would have been wonderful, " said Harry warmly, "Both Molly and Tina are O in N.E.W.T as far as their cooking goes. But now it's time to dig in! We need to split it twenty pieces.

Next nanosecond, the cake magically divided itself into twenty completely equal slices. Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny suddenly each found himself or herself holding a good thick slice of cake in his or her hand

Everybody's slice was large enough to be a decent amount, but small enough to comfortably hold and eat by hand.

As they all ate the cake, they were totally blown away both by how high quality and by how declivous is was. No one said a word as they ate it as they were totally taken in by its yumminess.

But after it was gone, everyone went on for minutes about how yummy and tasty it was. Harry was delighted to have had such a perfect cake at his birthday while Colin and Dennis couldn't stop smiling as pride in their mom engulfed them.


	45. Birthday Bubble Continues

As Harry's birthday in the bubble continued, Ginny said, "I believe Colin said he has some balloons he wants to bring out."

"Yes, " confirmed Colin, "The fourth of July celebration that I attended with Dennis and our mom and dad gave away free packs of red, white and blue balloons to all patrons as we were leaving, Dennis and I decided we could use them for Harry's birthday party."

"So, what are we going to do with them?" asked Harry.

Next nanosecond, Dennis and Colin pulled the packs of red, white, and blue balloons out of their left hand pickets and dumped them out onto the lawn. Colin then used his wand to fill them all with water so that they became water balloons.

"We're going to have a naked water balloon fight, " said Colin eagerly.

At that, the bubble made a strange noise, and everyone felt his or her clothes come off him or her as the clothes settled themselves on the perimeter.

Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny all were suddenly naked.

"Here's the deal, " explained Colin, "We're all going to have a naked water balloon fight just for fun. The bubble will keep score for us as we play and inform us of the winner once all the water balloons are gone. We're going to play by the simple rule that whoever hits opposing players the most times is the winner. The winner will then be allowed to present his or her birthday present to Harry first, Harry can make the choice if he wins. On your marks, get set, go!"

As it had almost reached a hundred degrees outside, Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny were all quiet enjoying being naked.

Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny each picked up his or her first water balloon and the fight was on. They all seemed to play this game with the mindset of indiscriminate fun. Everyone kept firing their balloons, happy when they hit someone but able to enjoy being hit all the same. The phrase "just for fun" seemed to sum up how they were all approaching it. It was a wonderful and joyous event of friends having frivolous fun with friends without making it too competitive.

When the last water balloon was finally gone. A voice came across the bubble that announced, "The winner of the naked water balloon fight is Harry Potter, who hit his opponents a total of fourteen times."

"How appropriate for my fourteenth birthday!" grinned Harry, "But before we move on, I have a few questions. While I'm obviously grateful to be shot of the jealous glory hound, as a curiosity, does anyone know what's up with Ron?"

"As my dad previously told you, " explained Ginny, "Ron isn't staying at the Burrow this summer. Mom and dad decided as parents to send him to Aunt Muriel's for the summer?"

"Good, " said Harry firmly, "Ron doesn't deserve to stay at the Burrow. I take it his attitude still hasn't improved?"

"Not by a longshot, " said Ginny matter of factly, "He actually sent me a howler the other day blaming me for his not being allowed to come here today under the premise that I probably never suggested to you to invite him. Mom visited him after that and gave him her wrath."

"Molly Weasley is a nice lady if you respect her, " said Harry bluntly, "But I'd rather poke a sleeping dragon in the eye than anger Molly Weasley."

"Mom is legitimately fair though, even if she does have a temper issue, " added Ginny.

"Ron's never going to change, is he?" Piped up Harry.

"It doesn't look like it, " confirmed Ginny, "He's still jealous of you and your fame, Harry, and he still won't admit that he had NO right to be angry at or upset with Hermione when he meanly shook bedsheets in her face and yelled at her in front of the whole common room. In fact, due to his continuing bad attitude, mom and dad are seriously considering not allowing Ron to return to Hogwarts this September."

"It's not as though he ever took being a student seriously, " said Harry clearly, "Being home schooled by Muriel may be what is needed to make lazy Ron actually pay attention to his studies."

"That's how mom and dad are thinking right now, " said Ginny, "I know Fred and George aren't known as great students, but at least they put the effort into doing well in the truly important subjects like Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"You know, " said Harry thoughtfully, "Wouldn't Fred and George have to be good at magic to be able to pull off their pranks successfully?"

"Exactly!" chorused Fred and George with grins.

"I'm torn, " said Harry uncomfortably, "If it's time for my presents, well, the thing, I still don't want to choose between Hermione and Ginny. They're BOTH my BFFs and are so equally. I will NEVER choose between the two of you, Hermione and Ginny and that's a promise. Here's what's complicating things. I can have you both present your gifts to me at the same time and have you two be the first to do so. But, I'm not sure if I can open two presents at once.

"Actually, " piped up Luna Lovegood, "I think Hermione and Ginny should be the LAST two people to give you your presents, not the first two. As your BFFs, Hermione and Ginny are the most likely people here to here to have bought you truly meaningful gifts and receiving any gifts from them will mean more to you than receiving gifts from anyone else. The cake was different since it was only going to be presented to you once. Since everybody here has a gift for you, save the best and most meaningful gifts you will receive today for last."

"That's the Ravenclaw in you speaking, Luna, " said Harry thoughtfully, "You know what, rather than risk getting people's feelings hurt by making a choice, let me ask the bubble a question. Bubble, who finished second in our naked water balloon fight?"

"Lily Moon, with a total of thirteen successful hits of her opponents., " answered the bubble.

"WOW!" piped up Lily, "Harry and I were actually tied before Harry hit me with the very last water balloon there was?!"

"Yes, " confirmed the bubble.

"Come up here then, Lily!" said Harry warmly.

Before Lily made her way up to Harry, she said, ""Bubble, I need my gift to Harry now!"

And a square box wrapping in wrapping paper bearing the Hogwarts zoomed into Lily's hands and she then made her way up to Harry.

"Great game, Lily, " grinned Harry as Lily made her way up to him, "We were actually equals, I just was lucky enough to have the last water balloon."

"Even though I lost, I'm still glad you asked the bubble who got second place, " smiled Lily, "I'm really happy and proud to have gotten thirteen hits."

"You should be, " said Harry warmly, "By the way, I know we haven't been introduced before-"

"Harry, I would like to take this opportunity for inviting me here. I know Tracey asked you to invite me because she didn't want me to be left out knowing she was coming. But it would have been easy for you to choose not to invite me under the premise that you didn't a stranger at your birthday party.'

"On some level, I chose to trust Tracey's judgement of you as a person after getting to meet her and know her a bit, " explained Harry, "But I also looked at the decision to go ahead and invite you here as an opportunity to make a new friend. "

"You are sweet and kind, Harry Potter, " said Lily cheerfully, "I reckon it's time that open your first present."

And Lily handed Harry the square box wrapped with Hogwarts crest wrapping paper.


	46. Slytherins Gifts

"Before I start opening my presents, " said Harry smartly, "Bubble, would you please create a space for me to put my presents down in safely after I've opened each of them?"

Next nanosecond, a HUGE plastic basket appeared near the perimeter of the bubble, where all their clothes still sat as they were all still naked.

"Thank you, bubble, " said Harry gratefully, "Now it's time for me to open Lily's present."

Harry tore the wrapping paper off Lily's present to find a white box that he opened easily.

Inside the box was what looked to be an orange sweater.

But when Harry took the sweater out of the box, he saw that it wasn't a plain orange sweater, but an orange sweater with the Hogwarts crest in the middle.

"WOW!" said Harry happily, "This is a really nice sweater. "

"I'm glad you like it, " said Lily in a voice that oozed satisfaction, "I made it myself."

"You did a wonderful job on it, " Harry told Lily approvingly, "Have you been sewing for a long time?"

"My mom taught me to sew in the summer between kindergarten and first grade, " explained Lily, "I should also note that I intended that sweater to carry a message of interhouse unity. That's why I chose the Hogwarts Crest, because it features all four houses symbols. I chose orange as the background color because orange is a color that is NOT associated with any Hogwarts house and is therefore unbiased. I don't think any of us are thinking of sweaters today when it's almost a hundred degrees out. But I think that will be a nice sweater for you to wear come winter."

"I tell you what, Lily, " said Harry respectfully, "Out of respect for your work, I won't wear the sweater, but will keep it in my room. In that way I can ensure that your work doesn't get ruined or damaged."

"You are sweet and kind, Harry Potter, " replied Lily warmly, "But, I want you to actually wear the sweater. I'm not under any false delusions that it will last forever. Since you are just turning fourteen today and are still a growing boy, you will likely outgrow it in a few years anyway. Don't worry about ruining my work. I didn't put my time and effort into making this sweater for you for it to sit in a closet or dresser. I appreciate that you want to respect my work, but I made that sweater for you to wear it, not stash it. I also hope that having you wearing it in public places such as Hogsmeade and the Great Hall can help spread a message of inter house unity. And, by the way, if that sweater does get ruined or if you outgrow it, I will happily make you a replacement upon request."

"Thank you, Lily, " said Harry gratefully, "It's really cool that your mom passed her own loving of sewing on to you."

"It's one of the reasons I was always close with my mom, our shared love of sewing, " said Lily cheerfully, "But as I know you know now, when I was sad because I missed my parents on my first day at Hogwarts, two kindly girls also in Slytherin and in my year helped me out by befriending me. One of those girls is Tracey Davis, Tracey, you give Harry your present next."

So, Harry put the sweater in the basket and watched as Tracey walked up to him.

"Harry, " explained Tracey calmly, "I actually got the gift I'm going to give you for everyone here, plus a few others including those invited here who couldn't make it. Everyone else, including me, already has his or hers. Bubble, please send Harry's into his hands."

Next nanosecond, what looked like a simple mirror with white trim came zooming into Harry's hands with the speed of a cheetah chasing its prey.

"It's not just an ordinary mirror, " explained Tracey patiently, "But a multi way mirror. We can all use these mirrors to talk to and communicate with each other. If an owner of one of these mirrors says the name of another person into his or her mirror, the two people will appear in each other's mirrors and be able to talk via the mirrors. If two people are already using their mirrors, a third person could jump in by saying either of the first two people's names. If a sixth person wanted in, he or she would just have to say the name of any of the first five people and so forth. See how it works?"

"Yes, " said Harry brightly, "These mirrors are totally awesome baby! A gift to all of us to help keep all of us connected. That's wonderful, Tracey. "

"I think we're on the verge of being a very big circle and I want to encourage that, " said Tracey hopefully.

"You are sweet and kind, Tracey Davis, " piped up Lily Moon, "And so is Daphne Greengrass. Perhaps Daphne and her sister Astoria could go next."

Harry set the mirror in the basket and awaited the arrival of the Greengrass sisters.

Harry suddenly burst into song as Daphne and Astoria neared him.

"And the green grass grew all around all around and the green grass grew all around!" sang Harry.

Daphne and Astoria giggled.

"Couldn't resist, " smirked Harry.

"It's all good, " said Astoria fondly."

"We get that all time, " grinned Daphne, "Lily can't help but enjoying doing that. But, bubble, I need my gift to Harry now."

A long rectangular package wrapped in wrapping paper that looked like actual green grass zoomed into Daphne's hands.

Daphne handed the package to Harry, who could feel several items inside that all seemed to be somewhat light and long.

Harry ripped away the "Greengrass" wrapping paper and found three pairs of new fresh Hogwarts robes that would clearly fit him perfectly.

"This is nice, " said Harry brightly, "I had actually outgrown my old Hogwarts robes and needed new ones. Now that's one less thing I have to worry about."

"Even though we haven't met before today, I noticed by observation last year that your robes had started to look a bit tight on you so I thought replacing them would a birthday gift for you that would be both nice and practical."

"Thanks, a lot, Daphne, " said Harry kindly, "It's nice to have them replaced and not to have to worry about that during what's going to be a very busy August for me."

"You are sweet and kind, Daphne Greengrass, " smiled Lily Moon.

"So is Harry, " replied Daphne, "Harry, we, that is to say, Astoria, myself, and Lily, all owe you a big thank you. You certainly didn't have to invite us here today. Tracey was different since you'd met her before. But, as Astoria, I, and Lily are strangers to you, you certainly didn't have agree to invite us. You could have easily said "no strangers allowed" but you didn't."

"I'm not a big believer in the whole don't talk to strangers thing, " admitted Harry, "There are certain things you shouldn't do and certain cases in which caution should be exercised, but, if taken literally, don't talk to strangers would mean never making any friends at all. By the strictest definition, don't talk to strangers would mean never talk to anyone outside your family. Especially for kids, I cannot get behind this too much."

"Very well said, Harry, " said Lily approvingly.

"As for me, " said Astoria, "Well, bubble?"

And before he knew it, Harry had in his hands what seemed to be a Snickers bar.

The Snickers bar broke itself apart slowly one by one with the pieces landing in Harry's mouth.

"Yummy, " said Harry happily every time this happened.

When the Snickers bar was gone, Harry found himself holding a new quill.

The quill had a beautiful yellow feather.

"It's a fwooper feather quill, " said Astoria glowingly, "Daphne and I both have fwooper feather quills as well, though ours are pink."

"It's beauftul, Astoria, " said Harry appreciatively, "It comes at the perfect time too. Let's just say my old eagle feather quill has seen better days."

"I had no idea of that, " admitted Astoria, "I just know how beautiful fwooper feather quills are and wanted to share that with you. So, when I won this yellow fwooper feather quill as a prize in a Shuntbumps competition at a Wizarding Fair a few weeks ago, rather than be greedy and keep a second fwooper feather quill for myself, I chose to make it my gift to you for your birthday."

"You are sweet and kind, Astoria Greengrass, " interjected Lily Moon.

"Seeing four Slytherins here treating me this well and giving me such nice gifts is a watershed moment for me, " said Harry honestly, "Admittedly, largely thanks to the unfortunate influence of jerk face Ron Weasley, who I'm luckily shot of now, I was prejudiced against Slytherin for three years. My godfather, Sirius Black, aimed to break that stereotype for me by setting up my eye exam with Slytherin graduate Dr. Eye."

"Our eye doctor, " chroused Daphne, Astoria, Tracey, and Lily.

"Tracey recommended I switch to Dr. Eye once I joined the Wizarding World, " explained Lily.

"She was fantastic, " said Harry glowingly, "Sirius then set up a meeting between me and Tracey for multiple reasons, but he was going all in on giving people a chance no matter their house affiliation and I quickly found Tracey to be decent."

"It's good that the jerk of a jealous glory hound is seeing his influence on you fade away, " said Lily in a satisfied voice.

"Indeed, " agreed Harry, "The way you, Daphne, Astoria, and Tracey have treated me and responded to me has told me the truth. "

Harry just smiled. It was nice to have actual friends in all four houses now.


	47. Ernie's Club and Hannah's Gift

"Bubble?" called out Harry, "Who should come up next?"

"Ernie and Hannah, " answered the bubble a nanosecond later.

Ernie and Hannah now walked up to Harry empty handed, although Hannah did seem to have something in her left hand pocket.

"Harry, " said Ernie matter of factly as he approached Harry, "Did you get my note this morning that I would not be bringing you a present but that I did want to present an idea?"

"No, " said Harry crisply, "I must've already left the house for here. But that's okay. I've gotten plenty of good presents already."

"The reason I didn't get you a present, " explained Ernie, "Is that I didn't decide until this morning that I was coming here. Neville Longbottom, who turned fourteen yesterday but who is holding his birthday party today because he wanted it to be on a Sunday, also invited me to his birthday party. I literally didn't decide until this morning which birthday party I would go to so I wouldn't have known who to shop for. I ultimately chose to come to your birthday party because Hannah wanted to come to this one, so I just decided to go to the same birthday party as my BFF."

"That makes sense, " replied Harry, who added in a bit of a stunned voice, "Neville is holding a birthday party today too?"

"Yes, " said Ernie clearly, "I suspect most of the people you invited here who didn't show up didn't come because they went to Neville's birthday party instead."

"Offhand, " said Harry slowly, "I would guess that apart from Neville himself, others invited here who didn't' come because they chose Neville's birthday party over mine would include Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Justin, Cedric, and both Patils."

"That's probably right, " guessed Hermione.

"Add Leanne to that list, " piped up Katie, "Leanne and I decided that one of us would go to Harry's birthday party and the other would go to Neville's birthday party. As I have been a Quidditch teammate of Harry's for three years, we decided I'd come to Harry's birthday party."

"This is making sense now, " said Harry briskly.

"I wonder why Neville didn't invite Harry to his party though?" mused Ginny, "Harry obviously wasn't invited to Neville's party, as he is surprised that it even exists."

"That is easily answered, " replied Harry, "If Neville had already gotten my invitation to this party before planning his, he would've known I would be at my own birthday party today. So, there was no reason for him to invite me to or even tell me about his party."

"Anyway, " said Ernie in a crisp clear voice, "My idea is this. I assume everyone knows about the Room of Requirement?"

Everybody gave a quick "yes."

"Well then, " continued Ernie firmly, "I would like for us to form a Friendship Club. My idea is that we can all meet up in the Room of Requirement every Saturday morning once Hogwarts resumes. I would be the leader of the Friendship Club and already have ideas for games and actiivites that a large group of people could partake in. I think it would be awesome if we could have a large Friendship Club with members of all four houses included. This could promote not only inter house unity, but also friendship in general. "

"I love the idea, " said Hannah brightly, "But I'm not a morning girl. I hope you don't intend for us to meet at 6 A.M. on every Saturday."

"Hannah, I know you're not a morning person, said Ernie in a businesslike voice, "How could I not know when we've besties since we were babies? No, my plan is for the Friendship Club to meet in the Room of Requirement every Saturday morning when Hogwarts is in session from 10 A.M. to noon."

"That sounds pretty good, " grinned Hannah.

"Ernie, " said Harry warmly, "This is an absolutely wonderful idea. Honestly, I love the idea of being part of this club far better than any present you could have bought me. So, are you going invite us to be the first members?"

"Everyone here should consider himself or herself invited to be part of my new Friendship Club with the first meeting occurring on the first Saturday we are at Hogwarts at 10 A.M, "said Ernie cheerfully, "Please raise your hand if you plan to join my club."

Harry, Collin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Tracey, Lily, Daphne, Astoria, Luna, Susan, Hannah, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Hermione, and Ginny all put up their right hands.

"I've graduated so this isn't germane to me, " said Oliver simply.

"You're still welcome to come back to Hogwarts and join the club, " Ernie told Oliver fiercely, "If you can't make it every week, you can still come whenever you can."

"Thank you, Ernie, " said Oliver gratefully, "I'll have to see if joining this club is compatible with my Puddlemore United schedule, but if it is, I'll join."

"This a really awesome idea, " said Harry fondly.

"I want to encourage friendship and to provide the opportunity for it, " said Ernie proudly.

"You are sweet and kind, Ernie Macmillan, " piped up Lily.

"Tracey predicted that our circle was about to get large, " said Harry brightly, "She was right on the money and we will be better because of it."

"Harry, " said Ernie seriously, "I really am sorry about not bringing a present for you, but Hannah has one for you."

"No worries, Ernie, " said Harry clearly, "I understand the circumstances and being able to join your new club will be greater than any present you could have gotten me anyway."

Hannah now dug her left hand into her left pocket and retrieved a brilliant green wristwatch with large black digital numbers and placed it directly into Harry's right hand.

"It's a really beautiful watch, Hannah, " said Harry glowingly, "The brilliant green matches he exact shade of my eyes and the large black digital numbers are super easy to read. "

Harry removed his old watch from his right wrist and threw it aside and put on his beautiful new green watch.

"Hannah, this is absolutely perfect for me!" said Harry appreciatively.

"When I saw this watch at Wanda's Watch World, I KNEW it was the perfect watch for you. I saw during Herbology last year that your old watch was starting to show the effects of age and use so I took it on myself to get you a new one. I sought out a new watch for you and decided to go to Wanda's Watch World, a shop owned a witch whose name is also Wanda Watch, knowing she carried the most extensive selection of watches. As soon as my eyes saw this watch, my heart of hearts knew immediately that it was your watch and I made the purchase."

"You are sweet and kind, Hannah Abbott, " said Lily cheerfully.


End file.
